Said It Here

How do I know what size tankless water heater I need?

Tankless water heater sizing depends on your home's peak flow rate (GPM), which is calculated by adding up the flow rates of all appliances and showers you might use at the same time. Undersizing the unit will leave you with a shortage of hot water, while matching it correctly to your household demand ensures you do not fall short during peak usage.

Overview
People affected2 accounts across 1 forum
Workarounds found3 items attempted
Community agreement4 total upvotes

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

  1. 1
    Researching flow rate requirements independently and consulting plumbers for recommendations.
    Did this help you?
  2. 2
    Installing a traditional thermal expansion tank
    Did this help you?
  3. 3
    Relying on a thermal expansion control valve as an alternative
    Did this help you?

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/Plumbing2 people · September 2026

“Looking at the model currently places it at a max of 6.8 gpm which by my research is way short by what is generally recommended. By what I listed above we should be around the 9 gpm closer to 10, is the recommended model by the plumber satisfactory or is he incorrect?”source ↗

LegazyMaximus07 · r/Plumbing · 3 upvotes

“I'm asking because I honestly don't know. The manufacturer installation sheet calls this a "WATER HEATER SHUTOFF/THERMAL EXPANSION CONTROL VALVE".”source ↗

“So, if it doesn't replace the function of a thermal expansion tank, what is its purpose?”source ↗

John_Coctoastan · r/Plumbing · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised