Many clients ask our plumbers about the benefits of installing a tankless water heater. They are many.
Tankless units are also known as “instantaneous or on-demand water heaters and these units only start up and actually heat the water when hot water faucets are opened and water flows thru the unit.These heaters are unlike traditional tank water heaters that hold and store and constantly reheat your water.Here’s how things work. As soon as a hot water fixture like a shower valve is opened,cold water will flow into the tankless unit ,then it is heated by either a electric element or a natural gas burner as it now passes through a copper tube heat exchanger which provides an ongoing supply of hot water.In actual fact its not “instant hot water” it’s continuous hot water.
What starts the heating process inside the tankless heater? A “flow sensor” detects movement in the water when a faucet is opened and the heater flame burner fires up and starts heating water.Cold water is heated rapidly by the heat source. Hot water is now quickly delivered to the desired fixture whether it be a shower valve or a bar sink faucet, you name it. Finally , when the hot water fixture is shut off, the inside heating element shuts itself off , saving lots of energy.
So what are the big differences from a traditional tank style water heater?
Well obviously , with a tankless heater , there is no storage tank involved ,they do not store hot water
So this eliminates standby heat loss which will potentially save tons of energy.The homeowner now has and on demand water heating situation, only when needed whereas an old fashioned tank water heater will constantly reheat the water held in the tank as time goes on. This is especially true of older units
You Save a Lot of Space With a Tankless Water Heater.
Tankless heaters tend to be typically smaller and are installed on interior or exterior walls. This saves the homeowner lots of space. A nice roomy kitchen storage cabinet can go where the old fashioned tank water heater once stood.
Can I Really Save Money With A New Tankless Water Heater?
Sure , you can save a lot of dough with a tankless unit , but bear in mind, it also depends on your actual water usage and the exact type of tankless heater. A typical gas tankless heater can save you about $112 per year , while an electric unit can save you an average of $46 per calendar year if you compare them to old fashioned tank water heaters. This information comes from out U.S Department of Energy.You receive these savings because of the greater efficiency of the tankless models, which again ONLY HEAT YOUR WATER WHEN IT’S NEEDED AT THE TAP, hence it avoids all “standby” heat loss.
Energy Efficiency Does Come at a Cost !
Tankless water heaters create energy savings its true, but it comes with high costs on the front end and we’re talking about the install and the initial purchase. Because of the advanced engineering of tankless units, it results in a “larger” purchase price. Studies have shown that actually some low price low end tankless units are priced similarly to old fashioned tank heaters , but many others can cost as high as $600 or more.These brands are typically Noritz , Nuvian or Bradford White. Actually I have a Bradford White unit in my home and I love it.
Let’s Talk About Longer Live
Yes , tankless heaters tend to have a longer life and greater reliability than an old fashioned storage tank water heater. In fact , they will often last twice as long. Usually , a common storage tank heater may come with a warranty of 6 calendar years and with our local Los Angeles County water may last about 8 to 12 years if you are lucky.On the other hand, a new tankless water heater comes with a warranty for 10 years and usually provides great service for 20 to 27 years or more!.(that is with annual descaling and proper maintenance. The really great thing that a lot of people don’t know about is that most electric parts inside a tankless heater are replaceable. You don’t have to contend with a rusty leaky old storage tank with a pinhole leak. This is an unrepairable situation.You have to drain and scrap the old heater and haul it off to the junkyard. With a tankless water heater it’s often a 10 minute repair job , replacing a defective electronic component. By the way , tankless heaters are easy to maintain. All the plumber has to do is make a yearly visit and flush out the heater’s copper tubing bundle for about 45 minutes, flush it some more with clean water , then put the unit back in service.This will prevent pin hole leaks in the copper tubing bundle inside the unit. You MUST do this once a year for long useful service with no leaks from the tubing bundle.
Tankless Heaters Sound Good Mr. Plumber But What Are The Detriments?
Like anything else some things have their drawbacks and limitations and tankless water heaters are no exception. Yes , most of the time , the upfront costs of install are higher than a storage tank heater many times the plumber has to increase the diameter of the steel gas pipe that feeds the new tankless heater . Let’s say you have a ¾” diameter gasline in place now. Your plumber may have to go from a ¾” to a 1’ diameter gas pipe to supply adequate gas. If you have a storage tank water heater inside the house built into a kitchen or a closet and you want to get rid of it and install a tankless unit outside the home to save space, you will then have to extend a 1” gas line maybe 15 to 25 linear feet to an outside location on the side of your house. You will also have to run a dedicated 110 volt electrical circuit to the same location to provide power to the unit. Another thing to bear in mind is that if there is ever a local power outage , you will lose the use of your tankless heater until power is restored.Traditional storage tank heaters will still put out hot water because of the stored hot water held inside. They don’t depend on electrical to be on all the time.Yes installation can be complicated ,in fact a lot more complicated than removing and replacing an existing typical 40 gallon gas tank water heater, in which often times its just a matter of draining and hauling away the old heater and putting in a new one in its place.Most of the time you can leave the existing water and gas flex connectors and shut off valves, that is unless the are worn out or too far gone! In some tankless installations you may need to bring in a licensed electrician to extend or install a dedicated 110 volt circuit to the new unit and/or add a new 20 amp circuit breaker to the panel.
If you have a large family, there can be possible limits of the heated water flow rate . With a big family, the tankless unit may not be capable of putting out enough hot water to a group of plumbing fixtures running all at the same time. For example someone is taking a shower and the pressure drops because someones washing the dishes or washing clothes,,,VERY ANNOYING!
Tankless heaters often fail to maintain really consistent water temperatures especially when there are periods of high usage and demand.The actual water temp could really have variation based on rate of flow and when many people have faucets open at the same time you can really see drops in the temperature.
It’s a Practical Matter for a Plumber
As an experienced plumber ,the whole tankless hot water heater issue boils down to practical , hands on experience with the product. Most everyone in this day and age have a family member, a relative, a friend from work or a business associate who have a tankless water heater in their home. If it’s a family member or a relative who owns their own home its “dead easy” . Just tell them you are thinking of buying a tankless unit yourself and ask if you could take a shower and or use the kitchen sink faucet is their home. Then you can have a first hand “up close” experience. In other words, how long did it take to get a nice flow of hot water to the shower head? Was it a stable , even temperature? How was the quality of the water ? Was there any lack of hot water during the shower? Were you satisfied with the experience? Same thing goes for hot water at the kitchen sink faucet. Did you get hot water right away? Was it an even temperature without variation? Was there a lack of hot water? All these questions will be answered with a personal trial. Also flat out ask your friends , “would they recommend you having a tankless water heater installed in your home?” What has your friends personal experience been with their tankless heater? Have they had maintenance issues or ongoing problems of any kind? Have they had any failure of operation? Are the saving any money paying their utility bills lately? Do they think it was worth the cost of installation? Believe me, if they’re your friends or neighbors they’ll be happy to TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT AND THEN SOME! Believe me , if you’ll go to the trouble to do all this , you will see very clearly whether or not a tankless water heater is for right for you.
It really annoys me that to this day there is a lot of mystery and confusion about tankless water heaters despite all the good , timely information about them on the internet and the media.There is also tons of good in depth information about tankless heaters via videos on Youtube. Honesty , you can find out everything you want to know about popular brands , maintenance and beyond if you dig in and look for it. The reviews tend to be down to earth and honest. Youtube is pretty good about keeping the information valid , spot on and helpful.
Brands and Brands All Around Me,,,Whos The Best?
Good question , tough to answer. It’s always wise to go with a brand that’s been around a long time and has great customer service and tech support.Believe me, you’re gonna want that on your first tankless heater installation. I personally like the Noritz brand because it seems to me they have been around the longest and have incredible customer service and tech support. They even have training classes on the weekends for plumbers which focus on proper installation and trouble shooting. I also love then because their headquarters are close by in Orange County, California.I recommend their products and I have had a great experience working with them. My friends and brother plumbers seem to like the Rinnai , Navien and Bradford White tankless heaters as well. Plumbers are quick to tell you what they like an recommend , and they are very particular and cautious about this because their professional reputation is on the line and the last thing they need is what is called a “call back” which is an unpaid return trip to a job to correct something that is not working or needs repairs or adjusting. Most importantly I certainly don’t recommend any of the tankless or storage tank water heater brands sold in the home centers as they tend to be a lower quality product with faulty parts and service issues. You will never find a licensed experienced journeyman plumber with a good reputation buying ANY type of water heater from a home center or hardware store. And there is a reason for that. The quality and reliability is just not there.
I hope this sheds some light and understanding of what’s out there in the world of tankless water heaters.