Customer Reviews:

• AE-125 Stay Away
  We bought this water heater in the beginning of 2005 the first one didn't work so we returned it for another. That one worked for right at 1 year then quit. I called the tech support and after being on hold for an hour was given an email that showed a diagram on how I could try to fix it. IT didn't work called them back and sat on the phone again for ever and when I finally spoke with someone the told me they would send out a replacement. I was then on the hook for another installation charge. The replacement work for just under 2 years and the water wouldn't get hot so I took the cover off to see if the reset buttons were tripped. One was so I reset it and flipped the breaker back on. The grey plastic box inside the unit lit up and sparks started flying out of it and that didn't stop until I shut the breakers off. So now we are with out hot water and need to buy a new water heater and pay to get it installed. I would tell you to heat water on the stove before you purchase one of these. I gave it a one star rating because there was nothing lower....more info
• Bosch AE125
  I bought online and installed it myself using compression fittings - very easy to do. Total cost $650, total time about 1/2 a day. I live in northern VA (it's very important to know ground water temperature with smaller units) and can get 2 showers+ in the summer. In the winter 1 shower + 1 faucet. There is a little fluctuation in temperature in the winter, but I think this can be corrected with the hot water valve now that I know what's going on. Electric is actually cheaper than gas in our area, so this was a good choice. Monthly savings appear to be about 19 percent. Made one service call and got a quick answer....more info
• Is tankless better?
  When they work, they are pretty nice, and there's virtually no limit to the hot water. However!....they are very demanding of the user: a)you must not use hot water at full pressure...they can't really keep up, at least not at full heat. b) you must not use the water at low pressure, either, for they turn themselves off and will not heat the water at all! There is a very small range of water pressure, and that's not always the right range for your application. I like to take a shower at very low pressure (less wasteful) and fill my spaghetti pot at full pressure (less time to fill)...neither of these is satisfactory with this unit....more info
• Hot Water Heater Performs Great
  I'm really happy my purchase and the water heater works extremely well. It is January in South Carolina and ground water is cold now. There is still more than enough hot water.
  
  It has been much more effective than the 50 gallon tank it replaced. It takes 1 minute for hot water to arrive to the shower... which is not much longer than the 50 gallon tank it replaced.
  
  The system requires (3) 8/2 wires, (3) 40 amp breakers, and (3) disconnect boxes in sight of the heater. It has a much stronger electrical system in comparison to some of the other units on the market.
  
  I also added a point of use heater to the kitchen so this large unit did not have to heat up every time hot water was needed in the kitchen....more info
• Not for homes on a well
  I purchased the Bosch AE125 Electric Tankless Water Heater 4 months ago and have regretted it. Several considerations should be taken.
  
  First the unit is not an analogue to a conventional tank-type water heater. It delivers hot water based upon a system that measures the incoming water temperature and flow rate and then "calculates" the number of elements (it actually has 6) that it turns on to provide an outflow temperature based on the setting of the temperature control. This system is not satisfactory for a water supply which varies in pressure, SUCH AS A WELL, as the unit itself provides substantial resistance to flow and thus the flow rate through the unit varies and thus the temperature of the outgoing water. This causes the delivered water to vary widely in temperature, from VERY HOT to VERY COLD. The unit would be improved if it was "smart enough" to not only measure incoming temp, but, also, outgoing temperature and flow rate and maintain the outgoing temp at a constant level.
  
  Second: The unit has a flow sensor, which will shut the heaters off at low flow, so, therefore, if you wish to have a small amount of hot water flowing into your sink for shaving purposes, the water will not be heated at all. This "Feature" also has considerable influence on the use of "low flow" faucets.
  
  Third: If you have a home which is heated by electricity and you install this unit, be aware that it consumes 120 AMPS at maximum heat rate. In my case, my electric heat consumes 120 Amps, also; my home has a 200AMP panel. Do the math, turn on the heat to warm the house and then take a bath, and suddenly the entire house is plunged into darkness. I have decided that I must sense when the water heater is turned on and prevent the central heat from coming on. This should be doable, and since the unit only runs when hot water is required, should disable the central heat only for short periods. HOWEVER, this is a feature that should be provided by Bosch and/or their literature should make clear to the potential purchaser that this is a problem with the electric heater.
  
  Fourth: The unit apparently switches one or more of its six elements on or off as it attempts to heat the water. There does not appear to be any partially on for any of the elements. This leads to the problem of "stepped" heating of the water. And because the unit measures flow in and calculates the outgoing rate, if the water is mildly too hot or too cold, simply changing the mix at the faucet does not necessarily result in mild changes in temperature, a tiny change at the faucet can cause one or all of the elements to switch off resulting in a dramatic change at the faucet. AGAIN an argument for sensing the outgoing temperature and maintaining it by modulating the elements for a smoother temperature curve.
  
  I would rate this unit as unsatisfactory for any home with a well, and only marginally acceptable for any home with electric heat (but only if modified as I indicated above).
  
  Had I known then, what I know now, I would have saved myself a lot of money and frustration by purchasing a conventional tank-type water heater....more info
• Unit Arrived Defective, Grade = F-
  I decided to purchase the Bosch unit because it seemed to have the best warranty. The unit failed upon start up, spent hours waiting on phone for tech support, tried to leave callback number by pressing 1, tried this several times and the line would not transfer to operator (zero)or voice mail (one), upon waiting several hours for tech support, and then going through several troubleshooting processes, I was advised that the unit was defective. I ended up purchasing a Stiebel Eltron 29 and I finally have hot water again. Also, after review of internal components, the Stiebel contained a much higher level of workmanship. The warranty is not as long as the Bosch unit, but it worked upon arrival and I have had zero problems or complaints thus far. ...more info
• AE125 PowerStar - No Thanks
  We are about 7 or 8 months into this water heater and have had it. We have fiddled with the temperature control enough. This weekend I am going to buy a old reliable conventional unit. We haven't had some of the horrendous problems others have reported. I think if I had, I wouldn't have put up with it for 8 minutes, let alone 8 months. But honestly, getting hot water shouldn't require all the gymnastics that are required to keep this thing adjusted - managing the flow rate, changing the temperature setting according to the seasons, resetting the little breakers when they trip - honestly. [...] If you like to tinker with the water heater all the time then maybe this is the unit for you. Especially if you like occassional cold showers in January and racing through the house bare-naked trying to see if the little red light is on. No thanks!...more info
• So far excellent
  been a month and no problems, water is hotter than with tank water heater. Wish I had done this before now. Wife likes the water hot. ...more info
• Bosch AE-125
  This is fine if you have room in your circuit box for 3 separate 40 amp twin pole breakers because it requires 120 amps to operate. Most people have only 100 amp service to their house and if they do have 200 amp service rarely do they have a spare 120 amps. It must be wired with #8 wire.This is for one fixture at a time and no more. There is very little that can be serviced on this and if it comes to that, it must be replaced. Water quality must be pristine because the hall effect switch is susceptible to fouling and is not replaceable. Power surges during storms are the death knoll of these. It has a rheostat type temp control you must bend down to see. Its easy to install but you have to purge the air out before starting or you will burn one or more of the three heating elements out. the older version was very crude and the heaters looked home made, the new plastic ones are an improvement. Take it from a former Bosch Authorized Service Rep do your homework carefully. Plumbers do not generally have the electrical background to work on these and Bosch does not publish the electrical values needed to test for performance. Even the most adept technician is going to be confused as to where to test if the heaters have failed and there is even less hope for the homeowner. Close but no cigar......more info
• Water heater replacement
  We had an old hot water heater that needed to be replaced. The tankless did cause us to replace an equally old circuit breaker box but once that was done, we had only to adjust to the difference in this and a tanked water heater. You can't run hot water anywhere else while someone is in the shower or they get a cold blast then hot. The tankless doesn't hold water so when the power goes off, you have NO hot water. Other than those adjustments, we love it!...more info
• Concept Good. Reliability, Durability, Servicibility BAD
  My wife and I bought this from Lowes in summer 2006 thinking it would save our energy bills even though the initial cost for the unit and the required installation for a new electrical service to it was expensive. Right out of the box, the electrician we hired to install it had to order from Bosch a replacement control board because the one we got was bad. Fast forward to February 2008, and we had issues with the control board again and no hot water for showers. Now we are screwed because that part is not covered in the warranty and costs roughly $300 dollars. Not to mention, it was difficult to reach Bosch Hot Water Technical Support because they put you on hold for God awful long time and they are really not that much help. All it is now is a hanging piece of junk on our wall. So, now my wife and I have decided to invest in a normal electric water heater that would just cost more or less the same as purchasing the control board. Buyers Beware! The concept is great but, I do not recommend getting this product....more info
• Water heater replacement
  We had an old hot water heater that needed to be replaced. The tankless did cause us to replace an equally old circuit breaker box but once that was done, we had only to adjust to the difference in this and a tanked water heater. You can't run hot water anywhere else while someone is in the shower or they get a cold blast then hot. The tankless doesn't hold water so when the power goes off, you have NO hot water. Other than those adjustments, we love it!...more info
• WORTHLESS water heater
  I would rate the unit at a negative 100.
  
  One of the worst items I purchased. Water would fluctuate, be too hot to stand on the lowest settings. This was installed by professionals in a new house. I got several error codes. Finally had enough and called tech support. I was on the phone 2 hours the first time I called and that was on hold. Then I spent another hour playing games with the unit.
  
  We spent over 10 hours talking to tech support over a month's period. I had to switch the unit on and off to get a bath. Tech support said the supplier told me the wrong unit to buy. Another tech support told me that that was wrong. I had to take off a lot of time to get the gas and plumbing installers to come back and check their work which was correct.
  
  Finally I had enough and called the supplier. They worked with me to get me a credit. By the way that supplier no longer sells Bosch. Just give me your money instead of buy the Bosch unit. I can hand deliver consistent and dependable hot water better than Bosch. Oh yeah and you can get a straight answer from me without the long wait. Maybe the long wait shows that there are a lot of consumers that are having the same problems.
  
  Replaced with Rinnia and it works as designed....more info
• Very Pleased Overall!!!
  I have had the Bosch AE 125 since January 2004. Recently I encountered a problem with the cylinders seeping water and loss of hot water altogether.
  I contacted BOSCH and as mentioned in other reviews, I experienced the automated answering system and elected to leave my name, phone number and brief message rather than waiting for a rep to answer. I was surprised to receive a call within an hour from a rep and the customer service was superb!!! Still under warranty, They shipped out a new unit to me that day and I received it within 24 hours!
  The issue with the cylinders has been addressed by BOSCH and the new unit included the upgraded cylinders which are no longer copper.
  Any appliance can encounter problem every now and then, I rate my satisfaction based on customer support when needed and BOSCH has impressed me.
  Great Product, I have saved alot of $$$ on my electric bill since I switched to the tankless water heater. I will not go back to a standard water heater. ...more info
• Not worth the trouble
  We purchased and installed the Model AE125 in November 2006 based on the Bosch name and its 10 year warranty for the heater elements. The unit failed earlier this week and despite assurances in the description that the outlet temperature is controlled, scalding water came out of the shower, burned me, and then the unit shutdown. Reseting the thermal overload only produced more scalding water for a minute and then another trip. Attempts to contact Bosch meant long phone waits and trying to use the email to contact support on their website have proven useless. Bottom line: we're very disappointed in Bosch and their failure to live up to their warranty claims and their design of a product that is downright dangerous when it fails. It's coming off the wall this weekend and going straight into the trash can. I would rather replace it with an energy efficient water heater from Lowes with a lifetime warranty than deal with these guys any more. Take it from me, save yourself money, time, and aggravation and stick with a reputable manufacturer of an Energy Star water heater than buy a Bosch t(h)ankless system....more info