7 Benefits of Upgrading to a Tankless Water Heater

Have you ever been the last one in the house to take a shower and found yourself suddenly shivering in a cascade of freezing water? Perhaps you’ve even had to be strategic about running a load in the clothes or dishwasher so that you can still take a warm shower afterward? Well, there’s a solution for your cold water woes: a tankless water heater!

Below, we’ll discuss the benefits of a tankless water heater compared to your standard one, including endless water supply, increased efficiency, and less maintenance!

tankless water heater
1 - ENDLESS HOT WATER SUPPLY

Probably the biggest advantage of a tankless water heater is that you never run out of hot water. Here’s how it works: when the system detects a need for hot water, like from a hot water faucet or shower turning on, it turns on. Instead of holding hot water in a tank, the tankless water heater is off until it is needed. Inside the tankless system, a burner ignites when the system signals a need for hot water. The cold water passes over an aluminum heat exchanger and heats the water directly. When the hot water is shut off, the system goes into standby mode. So, unless you have multiple appliances running as well as the shower and have a lower-capacity system, you should always have hot water on demand.

water heater - more hot water
2 - DECREASED RISK OF FAILURE

The greatest risk to owning a standard water heater is the risk of flooding. Either due to overpressurization, component failure, rusting, or any number of other hazards, the water heater could leak or rupture, causing anywhere from minimal to substantial damage to your home. While a neglected and unmaintained tankless water heater can develop leaks, it doesn’t carry the same risk of catastrophic failure.

tankless water heater - decrease risk of failure
3 - NO MORE ADJUSTMENTS

Generally, people will change the temperature settings on their tanked water heaters to prevent scalding or will turn it down in the summer, for example, when demand for hot water is lower. Additionally, homeowners will turn the water heater down or off if the home will be vacant for a period of time, such as leaving on a vacation. You don’t have to monitor a tankless water heater in these ways because it is an on-demand system versus a storage system. The system automatically defaults to standby mode until needed.

tankless water heater - less adjustments needed
4 - LITTLE TO NO MAINTENANCE

Tankless water heaters have fewer elements that need to be checked and maintained. Really, it just needs to be cleaned periodically. Your tankless water heater manufacturer will have a recommendation for how often you should flush and clean your water heater, but the process is pretty straightforward and you can do it yourself with very few tools and cleaning solution. But a licensed plumber can also perform your tankless water heater flush and maintenance check easily if you don’t want to do it yourself.

tankless water heater - less adjustments needed
5 - INCREASED EFFICIENCY

Because the tankless water heater is built to function on demand, it is about 30-50% more efficient than its tanked counterpart. If you think about a standard water heater, it always has a tank of water it needs to keep at a certain warmth. By contrast, the tankless water heater is off until needed, saving you from wasting energy.

tankless water heater - more efficiency
6 - EXTENDED LIFESPAN

A standard water heater generally only lasts 8-15 years, depending on how regularly it is maintained and how hard your home’s water is. Here in Utah where the water is very hard, without soft water and without regular maintenance, tank water heaters have been known to die in as few as 5 years. On the other hand, tankless water heaters will last between 20 and 30 years with regular maintenance. It is important to note here that in either case, the life of both systems can be shortened or lengthened depending on how regularly the water heater is maintained.

tankless water heater - more life expectancy
7 - SPACE SAVINGS

Because there is no tank and because a tankless water heater mounts to the wall, you can save big on storage space. If you are short on space or need additional storage space, going tankless could free up some valuable room for you.

tankless water heater - less space needed
 
If you have any additional questions about how a tankless system might work for your family, ask a licensed plumber who can help you understand your options! If you don’t have one and are in the Utah market, give Any Hour Services a call!




Author: Amber Smith-Johnson
Copyright © 2021 by Any Hour Services

 

Jan 27th 2021

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