Everything you need to know about tankless
As people aim to make their homes more and more energy-efficient, tankless water heaters are becoming increasingly popular in U.S. homes. In contrast to standard, tanked water heaters, tankless—or “Demand-Type Water Heaters”—use far less energy, heat water as it’s needed, last longer, and don’t carry the risk of a burst tank and a flooded home. A tankless water heater might be the right fit for your home.
In our latest blog post, we’ll break down the benefits of tankless water heaters so that you can decide if one is right for your home.
What are tankless water heaters?
As the name itself states, a tankless water heater doesn’t store hot water in a tank, waiting for you to use it. Instead, a tankless system rapidly heats water when you turn on your faucet. It’s smaller than a traditional water heater and can even be wall-mounted, saving you room in your garage or laundry room.
A tankless water heater warms water as it runs through the system, not by storing hot water. This means that you have access to unlimited warm water when you or your family turns on the faucet. No more running out of hot water in the morning. We’ll explain more about this in the section below.
Are tankless heaters new?
While many American homeowners are hearing about tankless water heaters for the first time, they’re far from innovative. This method of water heating has been used in European and Asian countries for decades. It’s a proven technology that—like most things—has only become more energy-efficient with time.
For many years, standard water heaters have been the default choice for American homes, mainly because they’re inexpensive and energy was also relatively cheap. As energy costs have risen, more and more homeowners are taking a harder look at tankless systems. We’ll explore several tankless water heater benefits in this article and get into why you should consider one for your home.
Here are some reasons to consider a tankless water heater:
-
They’re energy-efficient
In most homes, the water heater can account for up to 30% or more of your energy use. That’s a significant contribution to your monthly energy bills, and if you have multiple family members under one roof, that percentage could be even higher. All those morning showers add up—and that’s not to mention laundry, dishes, the dishwasher, and washing your hands in the sink. An electric water heater will push your energy bills much higher, and that’s one of the main appeals of a tankless water heater: energy efficiency.
Since tankless water heaters heat water as it’s needed, they don’t waste energy keeping water at a certain temperature until you’re ready to use it. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that most households see a 24-34% boost in energy efficiency with a tankless system. That can add up to more than $100 per year for most households.
Over the more than 20 years the water heater is in operation (we’ll get to that in a minute), those savings can add up to offset the higher cost of buying a tankless water heater instead of a standard one. On its own, a tankless water heater’s efficiency is a major reason to make the switch. But, tankless systems have other advantages, too.
-
No worries about running out of hot water
Since tankless systems heat the water as it flows through the system, they can supply a virtually unlimited supply of hot water to your home. If you have a family with multiple members who need to take a shower in the morning before work or school, a tankless water heater means that you won’t run out of heated water for these consecutive showers.
You can even start a load of laundry or the dishwasher in the morning after everyone has showered. While no one wants to waste water, it’s nice to have hot water available when you need it.
This is in contrast to a standard water heater, which holds a certain amount of hot water in its tank. Once that hot water has been used up, you’ll have to wait for the supply to replenish itself.
-
Longer system lifespan
Most tankless water heaters last about 20 years, although many last longer than that thanks to designs that allow for a professional plumbing team to easily replace worn parts and components.
In contrast, most standard water heaters last, on average, between 10-12 years. The strain on tank-based systems is far greater, and constantly holding a supply of hot water can cause corrosion, rust, and cracking. Tankless systems don’t have this problem, and they usually last far longer.
In this way, tankless water heaters justify their higher cost in most cases: the increased energy efficiency, paired with only needing to purchase one system in the time you might have bought two standard water heaters, adds up to huge savings. A tankless water heater’s lifespan is a major selling point for this type of system.
-
No risk of a tank bursting
This is a major benefit of purchasing a tankless water heater. A tank burst is every homeowner’s nightmare: a water heater failure and breaks in the tank could cause your home to flood with rusty water, or—even worse—cause a fire to break out.
The risk of a water heater tank burst increases with the age of the tank. If you have questions about the state of your standard water heater, consider giving the Allbritten plumbing team a call.
Tankless water heaters do not carry this risk. There’s no tank to burst, and most of the systems come with an automatic water shutoff that will stop the flow of water to a system that leaks. If your older, standard water heater bursting is something you’ve worried about, consider the peace of mind that a tankless water heater can bring.
Do they provide instant hot water?
This is a common misconception that probably originates with homeowners who pair their tankless water heater with something called a hot water recirculating pump.
On its own, your tankless water heater will provide your showerheads, faucets, and appliances with hot water just about as quickly as a standard water heater will. The water heater has to “push” the cold water out of the pipes before the hot water arrives.
Generally, the closer your water heater is to the faucet, the faster this occurs. In other words, a shower that’s close to where your water heater is mounted in the garage is going to get hot water faster than one in the back of the house. There’s just less physical space for the hot water to traverse before getting to the showerhead.
Here’s the thing, though: with a tankless water heater, you have more options than you would have with a standard water heater. It’s entirely possible, for instance, to install the system in the back of your home, mounting it to a wall in your bedroom closet, for instance. This shortens the time you’d otherwise spend waiting for your water to heat up.
If speed is important to you—and you hate waiting for the shower to warm up on cold winter mornings—you should talk to our plumbers about having a hot water recirculating pump installed. This addition to your water heater keeps hot water moving through your pipes, vastly speeding up the delivery of hot water to where you need it.
Just bear in mind that a water recirculation is a different device. Your tankless water heater won’t come with one by default.
What are point-of-use systems
Point-of-use (POU) water heaters are a less common configuration that replaces a single, large tankless water heater with several smaller units, strategically positioned throughout the home to provide hot water to individual locations. For instance, a POU water heater might be mounted in the cabinets below your kitchen sink, and supply hot water to just the faucet there, or both the faucet and adjacent dishwasher.
A POU setup has several key advantages. For one, this eliminates the wait time for hot water described above. With water being heated right next to where it’s going to be used, there’s less space the water has to move through. This means the water heater can operate more efficiently than a single tankless system, which has to push hot water out to multiple places in the home.
This doesn’t mean that POU systems are for everyone. For obvious reasons, not every one of these systems can get a natural gas connection, so POU systems run on electricity—a less-than-ideal option if you have natural gas in your home. This setup is often more costly to install since it requires multiple water heaters going in multiple places.
Finally, you may also have space constraints that block you from putting a POU system in certain places. Even being smaller and wall-mounted, these systems still need to go somewhere. Showers are especially difficult. You may not necessarily have space around the shower for a wall-mounted water heater. You’ll see many POU systems mounted above the showerhead—while this makes sense from an energy conservation standpoint, it isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing.
Do these systems require maintenance?
It’s minimal compared to standard water heaters, but the answer is yes—especially if your home has hard water. Hard water causes a phenomenon known as “scaling”, where minerals stick to the inside of pipes and start to form a hard film-like layer. With enough time, scaling can destroy your appliances and constrict the flow in pipes. As you can imagine, this potential danger also applies to your tankless water heater.
To keep your demand-type water heater running right, you should flush it every six months or so, just like you would with a regular water heater. You’ll need to run some descaler through the system to ensure that any built-up scale is cleaned out. Depending on how comfortable you are with water heater maintenance, this may be something you want to have our plumbers assist you with.
No matter what type of water heater you buy, you’re exposing it to potential risk if you have hard water. The best long-term solution is installing a water softener in your home that softens or conditions hard water before it reaches your water heater, pipes, or other appliances. With softened water, there’s virtually no risk of scale buildup. While you’ll still want to occasionally flush out your tankless water heater, you can do so less frequently, and typically without the need for a residential water heater descaler.
Our team installs water softeners here in Fresno. Talk to us if you want to learn more about how you can protect your new investment.
Why install a tankless water heater?
So far, this article has laid out the many reasons why a tankless water heater makes sense for your home. Here’s a quick recap:
Energy-Efficiency: Tankless systems can save you upwards of $100 every year on your energy bills.
Lifespan: Tankless units typically last 2-3 times longer than standard water heaters.
Space-Savings: As they’re much smaller and wall-mounted, tankless systems can go in more places throughout your home.
Safety: There’s no risk of a tank burst or major leak with a tankless water heater.
Convenience: These systems provide unlimited hot water, making them perfect for large homes and busy families.
If you’re on the fence about what type of water heater to get—and, beyond that, whether or not to get an electric or gas water heater—talk to our plumbers here at Allbritten.
For decades, we’ve been providing homeowners here in Fresno and the Central Valley with friendly expertise and honest, straightforward advice. We’ll break down the pros and cons associated with these systems, and help you figure out how you should move forward.
Everything you need to know about tankless
As people aim to make their homes more and more energy-efficient, tankless water heaters are becoming increasingly popular in U.S. homes. In contrast to standard, tanked water heaters, tankless—or “Demand-Type Water Heaters”—use far less energy, heat water as it’s needed, last longer, and don’t carry the risk of a burst tank and a flooded home. A tankless water heater might be the right fit for your home.
In our latest blog post, we’ll break down the benefits of tankless water heaters so that you can decide if one is right for your home.
What are tankless water heaters?
As the name itself states, a tankless water heater doesn’t store hot water in a tank, waiting for you to use it. Instead, a tankless system rapidly heats water when you turn on your faucet. It’s smaller than a traditional water heater and can even be wall-mounted, saving you room in your garage or laundry room.
A tankless water heater warms water as it runs through the system, not by storing hot water. This means that you have access to unlimited warm water when you or your family turns on the faucet. No more running out of hot water in the morning. We’ll explain more about this in the section below.
Are tankless heaters new?
While many American homeowners are hearing about tankless water heaters for the first time, they’re far from innovative. This method of water heating has been used in European and Asian countries for decades. It’s a proven technology that—like most things—has only become more energy-efficient with time for many years, standard water heaters have been the default choice for American homes, mainly because they’re inexpensive and energy was also relatively cheap. As energy costs have risen, more and more homeowners are taking a harder look at tankless systems. We’ll explore several tankless water heater benefits in this article and get into why you should consider one for your home.
Here are some reasons to consider a tankless water heater:
-
They’re energy-efficient
In most homes, the water heater can account for up to 30% or more of your energy use. That’s a significant contribution to your monthly energy bills, and if you have multiple family members under one roof, that percentage could be even higher. All those morning showers add up—and that’s not to mention laundry, dishes, the dishwasher, and washing your hands in the sink. An electric water heater will push your energy bills much higher, and that’s one of the main appeals of a tankless water heater: energy efficiency.
Since tankless water heaters heat water as it’s needed, they don’t waste energy keeping water at a certain temperature until you’re ready to use it. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that most households see a 24-34% boost in energy efficiency with a tankless system. That can add up to more than $100 per year for most households.
Over the more than 20 years the water heater is in operation (we’ll get to that in a minute), those savings can add up to offset the higher cost of buying a tankless water heater instead of a standard one. On its own, a tankless water heater’s efficiency is a major reason to make the switch. But, tankless systems have other advantages, too.
-
No worries about running out of hot water
Since tankless systems heat the water as it flows through the system, they can supply a virtually unlimited supply of hot water to your home. If you have a family with multiple members who need to take a shower in the morning before work or school, a tankless water heater means that you won’t run out of heated water for these consecutive showers.
You can even start a load of laundry or the dishwasher in the morning after everyone has showered. While no one wants to waste water, it’s nice to have hot water available when you need it.
This is in contrast to a standard water heater, which holds a certain amount of hot water in its tank. Once that hot water has been used up, you’ll have to wait for the supply to replenish itself.
-
Longer system lifespan
Most tankless water heaters last about 20 years, although many last longer than that thanks to designs that allow for a professional plumbing team to easily replace worn parts and components.
In contrast, most standard water heaters last, on average, between 10-12 years. The strain on tank-based systems is far greater, and constantly holding a supply of hot water can cause corrosion, rust, and cracking. Tankless systems don’t have this problem, and they usually last far longer.
In this way, tankless water heaters justify their higher cost in most cases: the increased energy efficiency, paired with only needing to purchase one system in the time you might have bought two standard water heaters, adds up to huge savings. A tankless water heater’s lifespan is a major selling point for this type of system.
-
No risk of a tank bursting
This is a major benefit of purchasing a tankless water heater. A tank burst is every homeowner’s nightmare: a water heater failure and breaks in the tank could cause your home to flood with rusty water, or—even worse—cause a fire to break out.
The risk of a water heater tank burst increases with the age of the tank. If you have questions about the state of your standard water heater, consider giving the Allbritten plumbing team a call.
Tankless water heaters do not carry this risk. There’s no tank to burst, and most of the systems come with an automatic water shutoff that will stop the flow of water to a system that leaks. If your older, standard water heater bursting is something you’ve worried about, consider the peace of mind that a tankless water heater can bring.
Do they provide instant hot water?
This is a common misconception that probably originates with homeowners who pair their tankless water heater with something called a hot water recirculating pump.
On its own, your tankless water heater will provide your showerheads, faucets, and appliances with hot water just about as quickly as a standard water heater will. The water heater has to “push” the cold water out of the pipes before the hot water arrives.
Generally, the closer your water heater is to the faucet, the faster this occurs. In other words, a shower that’s close to where your water heater is mounted in the garage is going to get hot water faster than one in the back of the house. There’s just less physical space for the hot water to traverse before getting to the showerhead.
Here’s the thing, though: with a tankless water heater, you have more options than you would have with a standard water heater. It’s entirely possible, for instance, to install the system in the back of your home, mounting it to a wall in your bedroom closet, for instance. This shortens the time you’d otherwise spend waiting for your water to heat up.
If speed is important to you—and you hate waiting for the shower to warm up on cold winter mornings—you should talk to our plumbers about having a hot water recirculating pump installed. This addition to your water heater keeps hot water moving through your pipes, vastly speeding up the delivery of hot water to where you need it.
Just bear in mind that a water recirculatory is a different device. Your tankless water heater won’t come with one by default.
What are point-of-use systems
Point-of-use (POU) water heaters are a less common configuration that replaces a single, large tankless water heater with several smaller units, strategically positioned throughout the home to provide hot water to individual locations. For instance, a POU water heater might be mounted in the cabinets below your kitchen sink, and supply hot water to just the faucet there, or both the faucet and adjacent dishwasher.
A POU setup has several key advantages. For one, this eliminates the wait time for hot water described above. With water being heated right next to where it’s going to be used, there’s less space the water has to move through. This means the water heater can operate more efficiently than a single tankless system, which has to push hot water out to multiple places in the home.
This doesn’t mean that POU systems are for everyone. For obvious reasons, not every one of these systems can get a natural gas connection, so POU systems run on electricity—a less-than-ideal option if you have natural gas in your home. This setup is often more costly to install since it requires multiple water heaters going in multiple places.
Finally, you may also have space constraints that block you from putting a POU system in certain places. Even being smaller and wall-mounted, these systems still need to go somewhere. Showers are especially difficult. You may not necessarily have space around the shower for a wall-mounted water heater. You’ll see many POU systems mounted above the showerhead—while this makes sense from an energy conservation standpoint, it isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing.
Do these systems require maintenance?
It’s minimal compared to standard water heaters, but the answer is yes—especially if your home has hard water. Hard water causes a phenomenon known as “scaling”, where minerals stick to the inside of pipes and start to form a hard film-like layer. With enough time, scaling can destroy your appliances and constrict the flow in pipes. As you can imagine, this potential danger also applies to your tankless water heater.
To keep your demand-type water heater running right, you should flush it every six months or so, just like you would with a regular water heater. You’ll need to run some descaler through the system to ensure that any built-up scale is cleaned out. Depending on how comfortable you are with water heater maintenance, this may be something you want to have our plumbers assist you with.
No matter what type of water heater you buy, you’re exposing it to potential risk if you have hard water. The best long-term solution is installing a water softener in your home that softens or conditions hard water before it reaches your water heater, pipes, or other appliances. With softened water, there’s virtually no risk of scale buildup. While you’ll still want to occasionally flush out your tankless water heater, you can do so less frequently, and typically without the need for a residential water heater descaler.
Our team installs water softeners here in Fresno. Talk to us if you want to learn more about how you can protect your new investment.
Why install a tankless water heater?
So far, this article has laid out the many reasons why a tankless water heater makes sense for your home. Here’s a quick recap:
Energy-Efficiency: Tankless systems can save you upwards of $100 every year on your energy bills.
Lifespan: Tankless units typically last 2-3 times longer than standard water heaters.
Space-Savings: As they’re much smaller and wall-mounted, tankless systems can go in more places throughout your home.
Safety: There’s no risk of a tank burst or major leak with a tankless water heater.
Convenience: These systems provide unlimited hot water, making them perfect for large homes and busy families.
If you’re on the fence about what type of water heater to get—and, beyond that, whether or not to get an electric or gas water heater—talk to our plumbers here at Allbritten.
For decades, we’ve been providing homeowners here in Fresno and the Central Valley with friendly expertise and honest, straightforward advice. We’ll break down the pros and cons associated with these systems, and help you figure out how you should move forward.
Let Allbritten install one for you.
If it’s time to replace your old, standard water heater, consider a new tankless system from Allbritten. Our professional team of plumbers will expertly install this new advanced system in your home, and we back our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
To learn more about our selection of tankless systems and get a quote, contact our team online.
