Tankless Water Heater – Overview
Tankless water heaters, also known as on-demand water heaters, are gaining popularity around the world. This type of water heater comes with a storage tank so it provides hot water only when it is needed. When you turn on the tap for hot water, cold water travels through the pipe into the heating unit. Once the water enters the heating unit, through the heating element, water is heated. As a result, you get constant supply of hot water only when you need it. Also, you don’t have to wait for the water in the entire tank to get heated before you can have access to hot water.
Usually, tankless water heaters provide between 2 and 5 gallons of hot water per minute. Tankless water heaters come with both electric and gas heating element. In general, tankless water heaters that are fueled by gas produce higher flow rates compared to electric tankless water heaters. While tankless water heater may be an expensive investment in the short run, over time, it can help you save a lot on your energy bills.
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of tankless water heaters and know more about different types of tankless water heaters.
Advantages of Tankless Water Heater
Installing a tankless water heater comes with numerous advantages. Some of the advantages of tankless water heaters include:
Energy Efficiency
Perhaps the biggest and most important advantage of a tankless water heater is that it can help save a great deal of energy and obviously energy related costs. Tankless water heaters are energy efficient because water is only heated when required. This saves the constant supply of energy that is required to heat the water continuously in a conventional water heater.
It not only saves costs while heating but it also eliminates all standby losses when the heated and unused water cools down.
So while the initial cost of a tankless water heater is more than the cost of a conventional water heater, in the long run, you can easily save up a lot on energy costs. By investing in a tankless water heater, you can easily save up to 60% of your energy bills related to water heating.
Storage Friendly
Tankless water heaters are not only energy efficient but they also save up a lot on space. Typically a tankless water heater is about 1/5 of the size of a conventional water heater. With an average size measuring around 10 inches high and 6 inches wide, a tankless water heater can be easily mounted on a wall and can be connected to your water supply. And because a tankless water heater is safer compared to a conventional water heater, you can install it in your bathroom or any other area that is not considered safe for the installation of a conventional water heater.
Higher Rate of Flowing Hot Water
Since a tankless water heater heats up water on demand, it is possible to simultaneously perform several activities that require hot water without worrying about the supply. So you can do the dishes, take a shower and run a washing machine all at the same time that too using hot water. This feature is particularly important during a busy morning when all the family members are racing to shower and are preparing for the busy day ahead. Tankless water heaters are designed to distribute a higher volume of hot water in the house.
Allows You to Conserve Water
An average tankless water heater takes around 2 minutes to heat the water as opposed to the 20 minutes required by a conventional water heater. Since the water heats up instantly and there is no waiting, it allows you to get a quick shower. And you can do so without wasting much cold water as you wait for hot water to flow in your tap. Thus installing a tankless water heater is an efficient way to conserve water.
Tankless Water Heaters Have a Longer Life
Compared to a conventional water heater, tankless water heaters have a longer life. Since there is no storage tank, tankless water heaters are less prone to rust, decay and leakages. With proper care and regular maintenance, a tankless water heater can last up to 20 years as opposed to a tankless water heater that has an average life of 10 to 15 years.
While there are numerous advantages of tankless water heaters, it comes its own set of disadvantages. You can find out more about the cons of tankless water heaters and which one is best for your family by contacting a professional plumber.
Types of Tankless Water Heaters
Typically tankless water heaters can be categorized into two different types.
Small, Point of Use Units
Small tankless water heaters are typically installed at the point of use. This smaller type of tankless water heater can help eliminate the losses when heated water is transported from the heater to the tap. However, if you have a large family or you need hot water supply at multiple ends, then you would need to invest in multiple small, tankless water heaters. Thus this type of water heaters can be great for supplementing a conventional water heater that is installed at a central location in your house.
Large, Whole House Units
To overcome the problems associated with small water heaters, another type of water heater that is available in the market is large, whole house tankless water heaters. This type of water heater is large enough to provide hot water at multiple point of uses. Though the heating loss dure to storage are eliminated however with a large, whole house tankless water heater, you will still incur some energy losses as the water travels through the pipes.
Mesa Plumbing
Deciding on the right type of water heater for your family depends upon a lot of factors including your water usage, size of the family, and your budget. If you want to install a tankless water heater in your home or simply want to know more about tankless water heaters, contact Mesa Plumbing. Our licensed professionals can help you guide about the right type of tankless water heater for your home. In case you already have a tankless water heater that needs repair, our trained plumbers can fix all your problems in no time. To know more about our services and the work we do or to schedule an appointment, call now at 480-832-1660 or visit our website.