Should you consider a tankless water heater?

Tankless water heaters have been on the market for nearly 40 years. They first appeared in the marketplace in the early 1980s, but their limited technology hurt their popularity until much more recently. Today’s tankless water heaters offer homeowners a real quality choice that anyone should consider. If you’re facing an unexpected plumbing repair, you need good, honest, non-technical information in order to make the best buying decision. That’s why we’re offering you:

Tankless Water Heaters: The Essential Information

Most people are familiar with conventional water-heaters – that large tank occupying an entire closet, or that clanks and bangs in the basement.

Tankless options are just that, systems which don’t have a storage tank, but, rather, heat water only when it’s needed, such as when a tap is turned on, or equipment (such as a dishwasher of laundry machine) creates demand. This type of function is also called by a variety of other names, including instantaneous, inline and on-demand.

How Tankless Water Heaters Work

A conventional hot water tank heats water that isn’t needed and then stores it until somebody turns on a tap. There are three major disadvantages to this system:

Some heat will be lost from stored water, regardless of how well the tank is insulated. You just can’t avoid this, and it could cost you a bit of money.

Loss of space. Let’s face it, big families need large tanks, which take up space that could be better used. In some cases, you may need more than one hot water tank, taking up even more space that could probably be better used.

Wasted time. If the tank is located well away from a sink, shower or other appliance, it can take time for hot water to reach its point of use (which also involves water- and fuel-usage penalties). How much water do you use running the shower and waiting for the water to get hot?

Pros and Cons

Tankless units instantly heat water as it flows through them. No hot water is retained, so no energy is lost. Other advantages include:

• They can be installed immediately beside the point of use, so there’s no waiting, and no waste.
• Flow is always plentiful, whereas conventional tank systems typically restrict pressure quite noticeably
• Energy savings are immediate, upon removal of older equipment.

Tankless systems can have a higher initial cost, both in terms of equipment purchase and installation. Beyond that, the only major disadvantage to tankless technology was an inability to serve multiple points of use simultaneously, but even this problem has been lessened considerably by design advances.

Today’s tankless water heaters can supply large households, where everyone gets up for work or school at the same time. They can provide showers, sinks and dishwashers simultaneously while saving energy.

So if you need to replace a hot water tank, you have options! If you’re considering a tankless hot water heater but have questions, give us a call at 877-768-7239. We’ll help you make the right decision that’s perfect for what your family needs. We serve all of Northeast Ohio, offering expert installation and removal of your old equipment.

Call today to learn more or to schedule an appointment. Remember, when you call The Plumbing Source, you’ve made the right call!