Tankless water heaters have grown incredibly popular in the past few decades, and they’re quickly becoming almost as common in homes as traditional water heaters. Anyone shopping for a replacement water heating system or a water heater for a newly built home has most likely heard of tankless water heaters, but many people are unclear as to why they’re considered better than their traditional storage tank counterparts. Here are the main benefits tankless water heaters offer over traditional units.
Smaller Space Requirement
A traditional water heater requires a massive storage tank to hold all the water that it heats at once before distributing it throughout the household. This storage tank takes up significant floor space in your basement or elsewhere and cannot be impeded by nearby boxes, appliances, or other items. As the name implies, there are no tanks involved with tankless water heaters. The unit for a tankless water heater is mounted on the wall, and most models only take up a couple of feet of wall space at most.
Energy Efficiency
One of the greatest advantages that tankless water heaters have over traditional storage tank water heaters is that they’re much more energy efficient. Traditional water heaters fill a large storage tank with water, heat it up, and constantly maintain that heat to ensure the water is hot when the faucets and appliances within the house call for hot water. This is not only a waste of water, but it’s also a waste of electrical energy. The device is routinely heating more water than necessary and heating it continuously until someone in the house needs it.
Tankless water heaters are also known as on-demand water heaters because they only heat as much water as is currently being used in the house. The water is heated immediately when it’s put through the system. There is no need to waste energy heating a massive tank of water or maintaining the temperature within that tank. According to the EPA, tankless water heaters are up to 35% more efficient than traditional storage tank water heaters, and they’re only increasing in efficiency as technology improves.
Longer Lifespan
On average, a well-maintained tankless water heater will be fully functional for about 20 to 25 years. Traditional water heaters tend to only last around ten years at most. The lifespan of traditional storage tank water heaters is significantly shortened by storing large amounts of water. The constant exposure to water causes corrosion to many parts of the unit, which shortens its lifespan. A tankless water heater is frequently exposed to water, but since it doesn’t store any water in the system, it avoids a large accumulation of corrosion over time.
Additionally, sediment builds up much more frequently in traditional water heaters than in tankless systems. Traditional water heaters constantly reheat the water in the tank, which separates the minerals from the water. Tankless units only heat the water once. While some sediment is released in the process of heating water even once, tankless systems don’t cause as much sediment separation. Nor do they suffer from having the sediment settle in the bottom of a tank.
Hot Water at Any Time
One of the most frustrating aspects of traditional water heaters is having a finite amount of hot water available. If someone takes a long shower, runs the dishwasher or does laundry, you’ll likely be without hot water for a while.
In addition, if the power goes out, the water heater cannot maintain the temperature in the tank, causing it to cool. Since the water needs to be reheated, you won’t have hot water until an hour or more after power is restored.
With a tankless water heater, you can have several faucets and appliances running hot water at once without worrying about being stuck with cold water. In addition, if the power goes out, a tankless water heater will provide you with hot water immediately after the power comes back on instead of needing to wait for an entire tank of cold water to heat up.
If you’re interested in having a tankless water heater installed in your home and you live in or around the Drexel Hill, PA area, our professional team at O'Brien Heating & Air Conditioning will provide you with high-quality and experienced installation services. In addition to tankless water heater installation, we provide installation, repair, and maintenance services for heating systems, air conditioners, air purifiers, heat pumps, and more. To discuss any of the services we provide, contact us at O'Brien Heating & Air Conditioning today.
