One thing that every modern-day household needs to have is hot water. From taking a nice warm shower to cleaning your clothes and doing the dishes, having hot water is an absolute necessity. If you’re in the market for a new water heater, you may be considering whether a tankless water heater is the ideal option for your home.
Tankless vs. Conventional Water Heaters
Most people are familiar with traditional or conventional water heaters. These have a large cylindrical tank that stores water. Inside the tank are heating elements that will heat the water to the heater’s desired temperature setting. It will continue to heat up the water in the tank, so that it’s nice and warm when you’re ready to use it.
Tankless water heaters work much differently, as they don’t preheat water. Instead, tankless water heaters only heat water as you turn on your hot water faucet. As water travels through the water heater on its way to your faucet, it will be heated up to your desired temperature setting.
The Pros of a Tankless Water Heater
Whenever making the purchasing decision for your home, it’s important to understand the pros and cons that each item can provide. This can allow you to compare and contrast different items to determine the appropriate one to meet your needs. Below, we’ll discuss some of the key advantages of a tankless water heater over its conventional water heater counterpart.
Energy-Efficiency
One of the most notable differences between a conventional water heater and one of the newer tankless versions is their operating efficiency. Tankless water heaters are much more efficient because they’re not continually heating water in a tank. They’re only heating water when you actually need it. Without any standby heat loss, like with a conventional water heater, homeowners can typically save between 10% and 30% on the overall operating cost of their water heater when they go with a tankless model.
Space Requirements
When you compare a tankless water heater to a conventional water heater side by side, the most obvious difference is their size. Traditional water heaters have a large cylindrical storage tank that requires floor space in your basement, laundry room, or utility room.
Tankless water heaters are much smaller and compact in size. They mount directly onto the wall, so they don’t take up your precious floor space. This is extremely convenient if you have a smaller home with minimal space to house your water heater.
Endless Hot Water
One of the most desirable benefits of a tankless water heater is that it can provide an endless amount of hot water for your home. One of the biggest complaints about traditional water heaters is that there’s only a maximum amount of hot water you can get before you have to let it reheat.
This can be a little annoying at times when you want to take back-to-back showers, like when you have guests over for the holidays. Because tankless water heaters heat up water as it flows through your hot water line on the way to your faucet, they can supply an endless amount of hot water.
Long Lifespan
Another factor to always consider when purchasing a new appliance for your home is its overall estimated lifespan. Conventional water heaters have a usable lifespan of about eight to 12 years, assuming they receive proper care and upkeep. Tankless water heaters last for between 15 and 20 years with proper care. It’s important to know that if you have hard water, it could significantly shorten the lifespan of your water heater.
Lower Water Damage Potential
One of the biggest concerns of using a tank-style water heater is the potential for water damage. If your conventional water heater develops a leak at the bottom due to excessive mineral corrosion, it can pour a large amount of water on your floor. With no way to really stop it, you’re stuck cleaning up the water damage after it happens.
With the tankless water heater, there’s still the potential for water damage. However, you can respond quickly by shutting off the water supply valve to prevent any more water from damaging your home. You’re not stuck waiting for a full tank to empty, since a tankless unit doesn’t store water.
The Cons of a Tankless Water Heater
It can be exciting to read about all the benefits of a new appliance for your home. However, as a knowledgeable homeowner, it’s important to also consider the drawbacks of any purchase. Below, we’ll discuss some of the disadvantages of choosing a tankless water heater over a conventional one.
Higher Upfront Cost
Cost is a big concern for any homeowner purchasing a new appliance. If you’re budget-conscious, then a tankless water heater is likely not your first option. They can cost about twice the overall price of a traditional tanked water heater.
May Need Multiple Units
Tankless water heaters all have a maximum flow rate, given in gallons per minute. This describes how much hot water they can produce for your home. Depending on how many fixtures you plan on running at once, like your clothes washer and your sink, you may exceed the maximum flow rate.
With tankless water heaters only going up to a set rate, you may have to purchase more than one if you have a larger home. This can create a little more complexity when it comes to piping and running hot water lines to particular fixtures and water-using appliances in your home.
Complex Installation
One thing that many homeowners discover when they purchase a tankless water heater unit for their home is that they have to upgrade their existing setup. This may be upgrading your gas line to accommodate more flow or upgrading your electrical wiring to accommodate a higher gauge. One of our helpful plumbing professionals will assess your home and let you know if an upgrade is necessary if you want to purchase a tankless water heater.
Making Your Ultimate Decision
When selecting whether a tankless or tank water heater is correct for your home, one of the first things to really consider is the size of your home. Larger homes that require simultaneous use of showers or water-using appliances typically benefit most from traditional water heaters. They provide a constant flow of hot water that will ensure every appliance and fixture receives adequate hot water.
Tankless water heaters tend to shine in small to medium home conditions. If you have around one to three people using hot water intermittently, a tankless water heater will be able to provide that on-demand hot water with ease. If you’re routinely using multiple fixtures at once, opting for multiple tankless water heater units may be ideal.
Exceptional Tankless Water Heater Installation
Fox Heating, Cooling & Plumbing provides exceptional tankless water heater installation in Wheat Ridge, CO. We can also assist with all your water heater repair, tune-up, and replacement needs. Just call our office today to schedule your next appointment with one of our helpful plumbing professionals.
