What Is a Tankless Water Heater?
A tankless water heater, often called an on-demand water heater, is an efficient appliance that produces hot water only when you require it. Rather than storing hot water in a bulky reservoir, the unit warms water to the right temperature and delivers it directly to your faucet. This innovative water heating method provides many benefits, but make sure it’s practical for your home before upgrading.
How Does a Tankless Water Heating System Work?
When you turn on a hot water tap, a sensor in the tankless unit detects the flow of water. This triggers either a gas burner or an electric heating element, depending on your fuel source, which swiftly raises the temperature of the water as it passes through. As soon as you turn off the tap, the system shuts down and quits heating, which avoids standby energy loss.
Advantages of Tankless Water Heaters
More homeowners in Riviera Beach are adopting tankless water heaters to benefit from these excellent perks:
Endless hot water: Imagine your family taking several back-to-back showers without the last person in line getting stuck with not enough hot water. That’s the reality with a tankless unit, which provides virtually unlimited hot water as it flows rather than needing 30 to 60 minutes to warm up a tank of water.
- Energy efficiency: Tankless water heaters are up to 34% more energy efficient than tank models. The lesser amount of hot water you use, the more you save. After all, you only have to heat the hot water you actually need, not the standby energy loss from heating a huge tank of water 24/7.
- Long lifespan: If you plan on staying in your home for the foreseeable future, a tankless water heater is a smart investment. These units often are in service more than 20 years, almost twice as long as traditional tank heaters—which have a projected lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
- Compact design: You may be used to your large, cylindrical water heater tank, but water heaters don’t have to look this way. Most tankless systems are no bigger than a carry-on suitcase fixed to the wall. This saves space because you can fit tankless water heaters in compact areas like closets or small utility rooms.
- Lower risk of water damage: Since tankless water heaters don’t use a tank, there’s no danger of a burst unit damaging your home.
Is Using a Tankless Water Heater the Ideal Solution for Your Home?
Tankless water heaters are eco-friendly, budget-friendly technology, but they may not be suitable for every home. Consider these factors before switching to a tankless system:
- Higher initial costs: Tankless systems require a higher upfront investment than traditional models. However, HVAC tax credits and rebates for eco-friendly appliances help decrease these costs.
- Fuel sources and venting requirements: Tankless systems are available in electric and gas models. Gas units have a higher flow rate but need venting to safely expel exhaust gases. If your home doesn’t already have a vent, putting in one will raise the installation cost. Electric models are less complicated to install but are restricted in that they have less powerful performance. They also aren’t eligible for energy-efficiency tax credits.
- Temperature rise requirements: Tankless systems heat water as it flows through, which demands a significant temperature boost. The colder the incoming water, the more powerful the heater must be and the more energy it uses. For instance, if the groundwater temperature is 40 degrees F in a northern state, and you want 110-degree water to flow from the tap, your system must accommodate a 70-degree rise. While possible, this is the upper limit of most gas-fired tankless units.
- Limited flow rate: Since tankless heaters don’t store water, they can only supply a certain amount of hot water at a time. The unit’s flow rate indicates how much hot water you can use simultaneously, a critical consideration if you have a houseful of people trying to shower while the dishwasher and washing machine are running! One option to avoid a drop in hot water is to set up multiple point-of-use models in high-demand locations. But, this raises upfront and operating costs.
- The cold-water sandwich: Tankless water heaters produce a “cold-water sandwich,” a short burst of cold water when the unit turns off and on again. It also occurs if you only run a tiny amount of hot water, which is not enough to keep the tankless unit running. While it’s a slight inconvenience, it’s worth knowing about before making the switch.
