What You Need to Know About Buying a Tankless Water Heater
Information to help ensure you’ll be satisfied with your new tankless water heater.
Tankless water heaters, also known as on demand water heaters, are becoming a popular alternative to the traditional water heater for many homes and businesses. However, before you purchase a tankless water heater it is important to fully understand the benefits and limitations of this technology as well as the costs you may incur during the lifetime of the unit.
Who Should Consider a Tankless Water Heater?
Tankless water heaters can be very useful for properties that lack space for a larger hot water tank and frequently run out of hot water as a result. Because tankless water heaters produce instant hot water, they never “run out.” However, tankless water heaters are limited in the amount of hot water they can produce per minute (2-5 gallons) so they cannot really supply unlimited hot water to every faucet and fixture on the property at once. It may be more practical to install multiple units to service different hot water lines, or to use a tankless unit as a backup to your traditional hot water heater.
Upfront Costs
Tankless water heaters do cost more upfront than traditional models. This is both because the technology itself is more expensive, and because gas models require a dedicated, sealed vent system to accommodate the exhaust from their high-powered burners.
Operational Costs
Once your tankless water heater is installed, it will provide significant savings over a traditional model. With no standby heat loss from a water tank and more efficient heating mechanisms, tankless water heaters can end up using 30 to 50 percent less energy than a traditional water heater. Depending on how much hot water you use and energy costs in your area you may save $100 or more per year. Over the average 20 year lifespan of a tankless hot water heater, that would be a savings of $2,000.
Repair & Maintenance Costs
All kinds of hot water heaters require annual maintenance for safe and efficient operation. However, tankless water heaters have a very important advantage in that they never need a tank flush and in general have fewer parts that might fail. Additionally, you never have to worry about the possibility of serious water damage from a tank failure with tankless technology.
If you would like to learn more about installing a tankless hot water heater in your property, please contact The Stanley Louis Company today.
