Benefits of Tankless Water Heaters
Require Less Space: If you don’t need a tank to store hot water, you can have your water heater installed in much more convenient places. Tankless water heating technology and equipment require only a fraction of the space, compared to the traditional water heater. Because they require less room, homeowners can have them installed in smaller spaces, like under sinks and inside cabinets. In general, tankless water heaters are much smaller. Switching to a tankless unit frees you from the space constraints of a tanked water heater.
Tankless Water Heaters Need Less Maintenance : Water heaters need to be checked once each year. Sometimes, they should be inspected two times a year or every six months. Tankless water heaters, nevertheless, require minimal maintenance. Depending on the quality of water, they can run for up to five years without needing professional water heater maintenance services. Nevertheless, if you have hard water, you should have a professional check and clean your water heater one time each year to remove minerals that build up around the heating element and heat exchanger. You can also perform some of the maintenance on your own. To flush the unit, use a vinegar solution for about an hour, or 60 minutes, to remove leftover sediment.
More Energy Efficient: Although a traditional tank water heater can heat water continuously, tankless water heaters heat only as much water as is required and only when it is required. By heating water on demand, tankless units reduce energy use by 24 to 34% compared to traditional water heaters. Because of this, ENERGY STAR officials report using a tankless system can save households or commercial property owners hundreds of dollars each year or more.
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FAQ: Tankless Water Heaters
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What is a tankless water heater?
Most people use the traditional water heater with a storage tank here in the U.S. to provide hot water in their homes. Storage tank water heaters keep water heated 24 hours a day, even while they are sleeping or away from home at work. Because of this, it’s easy to see how traditional water heaters use a lot of energy to maintain a tank of heated water. Tankless water heaters, nevertheless, don’t keep hot water stored. Tankless water heaters are also called on-demand water heaters because they heat the water as you use it.
What is the difference between a tankless water heater and a traditional water heater?
As we discussed, traditional water heaters take in cold water and heat it and store it inside a tank where it remains until it is needed. It uses either natural gas or electricity to constantly heat the water to maintain the temperature. However, a tankless water heater eliminates the need for a holding tank by heating water as it flows through pipes to an appliance, sink, or shower. As soon as you turn on a hot water faucet, a burner is fired on and it heats the water up as it enters a heat exchanger. After you turn off the faucet, the system goes into standby mode, which makes a tankless unit 24 to 34% more energy efficient than a conventional water heater.
What are some of the benefits of having a tankless water heater?
Tankless water heaters turn on when you open a faucet for hot water and then they turn off when you turn off the faucet. Because of this, the energy being used is only for the hot water being used. Because there isn’t any storage of hot water, you don’t end up wasting energy heating water when you don’t need it, like when you’re sleeping or away from home. Because you save energy this way, it equates to money savings for you and less of an impact on the environment. Finally, since tankless water heaters heat the water while you’re using it, you get an endless supply of hot water for your home, provided the unit was installed professionally by an expert like Fairborn Plumbing & Drain.
How Do Tankless Water Heaters Work?
Tankless water heaters heat your water when you need it (on demand) without the use of a water storage tank. Once a hot water faucet is turned on and you need the hot water, cold water flows into a heat exchanger. In that heat exchanger, either a natural gas burner or an electric element is used to heat the water according to your desired levels. As a result, tankless water heaters provide a constant supply of hot water without storing water that needs heated. You don’t have to wait for your water storage tank to fill up and heat up. Nevertheless, tankless water heater outputs limit the flow rate.
Usually, tankless water heaters give you hot water at a rate of 2 to 5 gallons (7.6–15.2 liters) per minute. Gas-powered tankless water heaters generate higher flow rates than electric powered water heaters. In some situations, however, even the largest, gas-powered models of water heaters are unable to supply enough hot water for simultaneous, multiple uses in large houses. For example, if you take a shower and run the dishwasher at the same time, it can stretch a tankless water heater to its limit. To overcome this issue, you can install two or more tankless water heaters in your home where you need them. Additionally, you can also install separate tankless water heaters for appliances — such as a dishwashers and clothing washers — because they use a lot of hot water. Nevertheless, additional water heaters always end up costing more and may not be worth that added cost.