Tankless Water Heater in Golden, CO

Signs to consider tankless

• An older tank with mineral crust, rust or rumbling
• Hot water running short for back-to-back showers
• White scale building on faucets and showerheads
• An existing tankless unit flashing a scale or flow warning
• A heater location you'd like to reclaim

Golden water and housing

The City of Golden draws its water from Clear Creek and treats it at the Golden Water Treatment Plant, chlorinating at about 1 mg/L without adding fluoride. The city says hardness typically runs from 40 to 170 ppm, shifting with creek levels through the year. That swing matters for a tankless heater: at the high end, minerals settle in the heat exchanger faster, so a flush schedule based on the harder months is the safer choice. Isolation valves added at install make the flushing simple.

Golden is a historic city, and the housing shows it. City-data figures for ZIP 80401 put about 56% of housing units at 1979 or earlier. In those homes the heater often vents through a chimney shared with the furnace, which a gas tankless unit can't use, so a new sealed vent through a wall or roof is part of the plan. Older gas piping may also need upsizing for a tankless burner. Addresses with a Golden ZIP outside city limits may have different water providers, so check your bill.

What affects cost

• Vent route. Older homes often need a new path to an exterior wall.
• Gas line. Upsizing from the meter for full-fire demand.
• Scale control. Isolation valves, a flush kit or treatment for harder seasons.
• Condensate. A drain for condensing units.
• Permit. An over-the-counter City permit.

When you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who works in Golden. Have the heater's age, fuel and location ready. Golden's Building Division handles plumbing and water heater permits over the counter: applications go in by email, are paid by phone and come back by email, usually within 1-2 business days (status 303-384-8151; inspections 303-384-8198). For a water or sewer emergency, the City's 24-hour line is 303-384-8158. If you smell gas, leave the house, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside.