For decades, homes have been sold and updated with traditional water heaters. These large tanks sit either in a closet or the garage, stay permanently connected to incoming water lines, heat that water via natural gas and burner, and deliver hot water within a few seconds to sinks, showers, and dishwasher. That type of apparatus works well for a decade, and then performance starts to slow down. Eventually, the same heater starts to have problems, warming takes minutes to happen, and finally, towards the end, the water at best is lukewarm. It’s time to upgrade the water heater if not soon. A tankless water heater makes a great alternative.
How a Tankless Water Heater Works
Again, the traditional design involves feeding regular municipal water, heating it with a burner and then feeding it to faucets with a hot water line and pressure. Unlike that model, which stores warm and hot water to then pull from the tank, a tankless water heater has no storage at all. Instead, the tankless design uses the ongoing supply and runs it through a heating network as the water flows. This in turn heats up the water enough to exit hot from the desired faucet. The approach has multiple benefits, including less space needed to operate, less risk of a tank failure, and an ongoing supply of hot water instead of waiting for the tank to replenish again.
Benefits in Design
Tankless water heaters are incredibly efficient as well. Unlike a traditional heater, which uses an incredible amount of energy to heat water in the first place and keep it warm, a tankless system loses none of that energy waiting. Instead, the energy is only used as hot water is demanded. So, the cost ends up being far less than a natural gas standby heating approach.
Tankless water heaters also don’t waste as much water in usage. However, often does one have to let a faucet run before the hot water arrives? All that water goes down the drain. It’s a waste and usually at cost on a home utility bill too. With a tankless system, the water required from a hot water faucet is hot right away. Less water is used, and far less is wasted.
When it comes to maintenance and even replacement, tankless water heaters can last incredibly long too. They are easily expected to last over 20 years. The same can’t be said about a traditional water heater; most are only guaranteed for 10 years and will begin to weaken by 13 years. Where the traditional heater has to be completely replaced when it fails, a tankless system can keep going with only different parts replaced, costing far less too.
Getting Started With a Water Heating Change
Upgrading to a tankless water heater starts with a detailed evaluation of how a household needs hot water. There’s only one opportunity to get the model matched to a home correctly before installation. After that, if there is a mismatch, then it can be a long period of insufficient hot water for years afterward. So, the evaluation is critical. That review confirms the most appropriate size heater to use, the installation method, and best connection setup. From there, the installation begins with the removal of the old heater and attachment of the new system.
Ideally, a consumer should work with a plumber who has a given track record working successfully with tankless water heaters. Experience makes a big difference in the success of an installation, especially when the installation runs into challenging unexpected issues with older plumbing.
When is a good time to consider an upgrade to a tankless water heater? If your traditional water heater is struggling to heat up quickly, the water pressure seems to die off, the heating won’t stay on, or the water is coming out with mineral residue and corrosion, those are signs the water heater is aging. Instead of just getting another decade only of reliable service, this time consider a tankless system that can last a lot longer. This is your chance to improve versus just replace.
