Tankless Hot Water Heater – The New Rage
What Are the Differences Between a Standard Water Heater and a Tankless Hot Water Heater?
As the name implies, the biggest difference is the lack of a large holding tank on a “Tankless Hot Water Heater”.
But There are Several Other, Less Obvious Differences:
- A Tankless Hot Water Heater is smaller and takes up less volume or area and can be secured to a wall instead of taking up floor space.
- Because there not a tank where hot water is kept or stored, the heating process must be nearly instantaneous. This requires more heat (or BTUs – also known as ‘British Thermal Units’) to quickly heat the water as it moves through the Tankless Hot Water Heater for a shorter period of time.
- The natural gas or propane supply lines must be larger from the original source and different pressure regulators used to supply the larger amount of fuel. Although the immediate need/use of the fuel is much larger, the Tankless Water Heaters ONLY use fuel when hot water is called for from a faucet or other point of use (washing machine, shower, dishwasher, etc.). Because it is not necessary to keep a “tank” of water hot all the time, waiting to be used, this can be a huge savings in fuel and long-term utility costs.
- For optimum performance and the latest technology available, a Tankless Hot Water Heater should be installed on a wall that is also an exterior wall of the home. This allows for the safe, balanced venting and fresh air intake for the heater. It also prevents using conditioned air (that you have paid for) from being used by the water heater as it’s intake or supply air.
- A Tankless Hot Water Heater is a completely sealed unit. It pulls its fresh air from the outside, so there is no issue if you decide to paint the exterior of the heater to match the walls or build shelves close to it. Because it’s a completely sealed unit, you can safely have combustibles within a half inch of the unit itself.
How Common have Tankless Water Heaters Become?
Tankless hot water heaters are more common in the United States today. Although Tankless Hot Water Heater have been around for 50-60 years, they have not been used widely in the United States until recently. Because we are now more closely focused on energy efficiency and savings, some home builders now install them as they are building new homes; especially in custom homes. These systems only heat the water, albeit very, very quickly, when there is demand for hot water at a point of use.
Myth About Tankless Water Heaters
One of the biggest misconceptions about Tankless Hot Water Heater is the belief that they provide instant hot water at all points of use. While this is an instantaneous water heater, it does not mean that it’s going to be instant hot water at each faucet. It still has to travel from the water heater to the faucet just like the regular tank-style water heater did.
There are a couple of ways to provide instant hot water at use points and we will investigate those possibilities more in our next article.
Call Leak Geeks Plumbing professionals if you need help with your water heater issues. You can be assured that only a Licensed Plumber will be there for any work done in your home. We work diligently to make certain that you are treated with respect and have all your questions answered before we go to work in your home.
Leak Geeks Plumbing provides professional grade hot water heaters and tankless hot water heaters in the southwestern part of DFW Metroplex and surrounding areas.
