I want to add hot water to the barn this year and I wanted to see what people recommended as far as water heaters. Does anyone use either the tankless heaters or the instant hot water type heaters? Any Pros or Cons to the system you have installed?

Also, does anyone have experience with composting toilets or incinerator toilets in their barn? There is no way to hook up to the house's septic system without paying an arm and a leg, so I'm looking for alternative type toilets. I have no interest in dealing with Porta Potties unless I found a really nice one that was easy to empty and didn't smell. With having boarders, I really need to put a bathroom sometime soon.

Your advise is appreciated!

Tankless water heaters work fine. The main advantage is you only pay for the hot water you use. Since you heat it as you need it.  The disadvantge is the price, about twice the cost of a regular tank. Plus they loose a little pressure.

In a home people want to turn on the shower and have hot water that beats down on them.  Since the tankless models have to slow down the water flow to heat the water. People feel like they don't have adequet pressure. Probably not a big deal out in a barn for washing your hands or filing a bucket with hot water to clean a horse. It is a big deal if you expect to turn the hose on and have a blast of hot water to wash a truck.

An option for the sewage would be a pressurized system. A sewage injector.  It can pump the sewage uphill and through a smaller diameter pipe. ( usually a 2")  We install them in Basements to lift the basement sewage up the main floor level and let gravity carry it from there. The sewage injectors for basements are about $600 and available at almost any plumbing supply house.  They also make units that will pump very long distances. They use these for beach front homes where they need to pump the sewage back away from the beach to reach a sewer. E-one is a manufactures of these type of products. And they do cost more dependng on the size and distance you need to pump.

Can't help you out on the Potty.  But I have a 50 gal. Electric water heater in the barn.  Plenty of Hot water for what ever I might need it for.  Now, I have it in a heated office/tack room also. I like the Electric water heater because I didn't have to run a vent up thru the roof with a gas powered unit.

In my Texas barn we have a tankless water heater and it's been so wonderful!  You can turn every tap on hot and never run out of hot water.  I've not had any drop in pressure, per the previous post and our plumber told us the pressure shouldn't drop if the unit is installed correctly.

I have washed horse after horse, after horse and hot water just keeps on coming, it's wonderful!  The tax rebate makes up some of the upfront cost.  They pay for themselves in a few years.

Once you go tankless, you'll never go back!

I use this one that I got at Valley Vet Supply. It is really handy to move anywhere I need it, take it to a show, or camping. Easy to use, drain, & store in the winter.

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Well, as far as the toilet issue, we decided to just put in a regular bathroom since we have water and power at the barn anyway. It's a bigger job since we need to put in a tank and dig a leach field, but in the end I think it will all be worth it.

As far as the hot water system, I went ahead an ordered the portable 8 gallon hot wash tank system from Valley Vet, so we shall see how it goes. I only board about 6 horses plus of course my four, but most are just trail riders and I don't think the hot water system will be used all that much so it should work out fine.

Thanks again for all of the input!