Water Heater Upgrade: Time To Go Tankless!
Do you dislike wasting water and time waiting for hot water to reach your sink? Is your current water heater more than 10 years old? If so, you might want to consider upgrading to a tankless water heater and re-circulation system for your home.
How They Work
Tankless water heaters, also called water on demand heaters, work by heating water directly at the source while it’s being used. This means you are not paying to heat the same water multiple times throughout the day. Tankless water heaters are more efficient and don’t have the energy standby losses associated with traditional water heater tanks. With the addition of a re-circulating system you can have near instant hot water since you don’t have to wait for cold water to cycle through your pipes. Tankless water heaters can be powered by natural gas, electricity, or propane.
Tankless Benefits
Tankless systems are much smaller than tank style heaters and can be mounted on the wall. There are even models designed for outdoor installation. This can free up valuable storage space in your home and makes access for maintenance a lot easier. Another benefit is that tankless water heaters have a longer life expectancy than conventional water tanks (generally around 20 years) because all of the parts are accessible for servicing or replacement. Even better, the risk of water damage resulting from tank leaks will be a thing of the past!
Capabilities and Use
Based on the size of your home or your particular need, tankless water heaters are able to provide hot water at a rate of 2 to 11 gallons per minute. While this is usually more than enough for average households, for larger households, a single tankless heater might be hard pressed to keep up with multiple, simultaneous uses (for example running the dishwasher, washing machine and 2 showers at the same time). This can be overcome by installing an additional tankless system in your home to handle simultaneous demands. In fact, ENERGY STAR® estimates that installing a tankless system that is tailored for your exact situation can help you achieve energy savings of 27%-50%!
If you’re interested in learning more about tankless water heaters, schedule an appointment with Best Plumbing. Our expert plumbers will design the perfect system that works with your plumbing configuration and lifestyle needs!
Photo Credit: reverent, available under Creative Commons CCO.
