Plumbing Tips
To Tank Or Not To Tank?
Everything you need to know about Tankless Water Heaters
One of the most frequent questions we receive from customers is "Are tankless water heaters worth it" and the answer to the questions really depends on your needs and most importantly if you have Natural Gas or Electric for your current water heater.
Tankless water heaters are alot smaller and can be installed just about anywhere, making them very convenient compared to a traditional tank-style heater. To better explain the Pros and Cons of tankless water heaters, we need to seperate tankless water heaters into two categories, Electric Tankless and Gas Tankless.
Electric Tankless Water Heaters
One of the most versitile styles of tankless water heaters are ones that are powered by electric. These can virtually be installed just about anywhere as they do not require an exhaust vent and have a very small footprint. They are also slightly more efficient compared to traditional water heaters as they are not continually heating a large storage tank full of water and only runs when there is flow. What customers don't realize with electric tankless units is that they can require up to 4-40 amp breakers to power them compared to a traditional water heater which normally has a 2-pole 30 amp breaker. This can become very expensive and will require an electrician to run new electric to your tankless unit, making the cost savings disappear. Also even though in the long run a tankless unit won't use as much electric, they take more power to heat the same amount of water and in most cases are less efficient if you use alot of water. One of the largest Cons in our experience is that electric powered units do not heat the water as well and their lifespan is often shorter than a traditional unit, along with required yearly maintence.
Overall we do not currently recommend Electric tankless for these reasons.
Natural Gas Tankless Water Heaters
Natural Gas (NG) Tankless units are a great alternative compared to a traditional gas powered water heater. Unlike Electric tankless, these units have to be more accesible and most require an exhaust vent limiting where it can be installed. Most NG Tankless units can be easily retrofitted where a traditional tank use to be, along with exterior mounting if needed, and are alot more efficient compared to their traditional tank style counterparts. Like Electric units, they do have to be serviced atleast once a year to extend their lifespan, but boast a fairly long lifespan if serviced regularly. In our experience Natural Gas Tankless water heaters are a great alternative to a traditional tank style, and are worth the upgrade. Also most gas companies offer rebates for this upgrade!
Overall we recommend Natural Gas Tankless Water Heaters.
Are there any other options besides tankless?
Absolutely! If you have electric and are looking for a more effiencent water heater, we recommend a Heat Pump Water Heater. Heat Pump water heaters are not nearly as popular as tankless units as they are the same size or slightly larger than a traditional units. With this being said Heat pump water heaters are 2 to 3 times more effecient compared to a traditional unit.
Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heaters
Heat pump water heaters pull heat out of the air and utilizes it to heat the water instead of primarily using an element to heat the water. This technology allows these units to be upwards of 3 times as efficient compared to traditional units. These units are great to be installed inside the garage and laundry room as they pull heat and humidity from the room, naturally cooling and slightly dehumidifying the air.
Check out this link from AO Smith explaining how these units work, along with rebates for doing this upgrade!