Are you looking to upgrade or replace the water heater in your home? If so, you should make sure that you think carefully about what type of unit you want to install. While a tank water heater isn’t necessarily a bad choice, this article will show you some of the reasons you may want to consider installing a tankless water heater instead.
Superior Efficiency and Lower Energy Costs
One factor that has led to tankless water heaters increasing in popularity is their superior energy efficiency compared to traditional tank water heaters. While installing a tankless unit will usually cost at least a few hundred dollars more, it is almost guaranteed to save you money in the long run. One reason for this is that a tankless unit only needs to heat a small volume of water at one time, which means that it doesn’t need as powerful of a gas burner or electric heating elements. Tank units need to be more powerful and produce more heat since they store a large volume of water. They also need to run at least a few times a day even when you’re not using any hot water to ensure that the water constantly stays at the correct temperature. This leads to wasted energy since the water in the tank always slowly loses some heat over time.
A tankless water heater works on demand and will only run when you need hot water at a sink, shower, etc. As such, it doesn’t ever have the same energy waste issue that plagues tank units. Depending on how many gallons of hot water your household uses per day on average, a tankless water heater will usually be anywhere from around 10% to 35% more efficient than even the best tank unit.
Long Life Expectancy
Another reason that a tankless water heater will save you money is that it may last almost twice as long as a tank water heater. The typical lifespan of a tank water heater is somewhere between eight and 15 years. A high-quality tankless unit, on the other hand, will typically have a lifespan of 20 to even 30 years.
Lower Repair and Maintenance Needs
Tank water heaters require quite a bit of maintenance such as regularly flushing them to remove sediment build-up and replacing the anode rod every few years. Even when properly maintained, they are also more prone to experiencing various issues that require them to be repaired or components to be replaced. Tankless water heaters require very little maintenance other than being flushed and descaled once or twice a year to prevent limescale build-up. They also have fewer components and don’t experience as much wear and tear, which means they typically have fewer repair needs.
Reduced Risk of Leaks
One major issue with tank water heaters is that the tank slowly rusts and corrodes over time, which can lead to a major leak. In some cases, the tank can just suddenly and completely fail, resulting in tens of gallons of water flooding the surrounding area. The fact that a tankless water heater doesn’t store hot water means you should never need to worry about a catastrophic leak. There is always a chance that the pipes that connect to the unit could develop a leak, but this is true with tank units as well.
Unlimited Hot Water
Another issue with tank water heaters is that you can easily use up all of your hot water supply. This is especially true if you have multiple people in your home who all need to shower in quick succession or any other time when you use lots of hot water in a short time span. Once you’ve depleted your hot water supply, you will then usually need to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours before your hot water is restored.
A tankless water heater can essentially supply you with unlimited hot water since it will continue running and heating for as long as you need it to. The only issue in this regard is that you are somewhat more limited in terms of how many gallons of hot water the unit can supply per minute. Depending on the size of the unit you have and its flow rate, it will usually be able to supply enough hot water for two showers to run at the same time. However, if your hot water demand exceeds the unit’s flow rate, you will have issues with the temperature fluctuating or the water not being as hot as you want. This is why it’s important to consult with a plumber to ensure you choose a unit with a high enough flow rate to meet your normal hot water demands.
Raymark Plumbing & Sewer is the plumbing company you can trust for all of your water heater installation, repair and maintenance needs. We have been serving Seattle area residents since 1977 and are proud to be the area’s top plumbing and sewer service. Whether you need to install a water heater or need any other plumbing installation or repair services, give us a call to get the professional help and support you need.
