Can Save You Space & Money
Are you cramped for space? Does your home lack a basement where you can place a 20- to 70-gallon storage hot water tank? Better yet, would you like to save on energy costs and have almost instant access to hot water? If you say yes to one or all of the above, then a tankless hot water heater might be the perfect solution for you. Every year, more and more homeowners are tapping into the versatility of tankless water heaters.
Tankless water heaters are also known as “demand type” or “instantaneous” water heaters, and the descriptions are spot on. Tankless water heaters provide hot water only when needed, and the flow of hot water is continuous and not limited by the capacity of your storage tank.
The Inner Workings of a Tankless Water Heater
Tankless water heaters can be used to provide hot water to an entire house, to a specific water outlet (shower, bathtub, etc.), to supplement the hot water of an appliance (washer, dishwasher) or can be configured to meet other uses. The tankless hot water heater usually is hung on a wall, and a whole-house unit measures about two feet tall and one foot wide. In high usage households, two or more tankless water heaters can be hooked up in parallel to meet multi-tasking needs.
So how does a tankless water heater work? Actually, it’s pretty simple. When a hot water tap is turned on, a flow-sensing device is activated. Cold water flows through a pipe into the heating unit. The hot water then leaves the unit and travels to where the hot water tap was turned on. The best tankless water heaters can produce 3-to-5 gallons of hot water per minute. When the hot water tap is turned off, the flow-sensing device is deactivated.
Tankless water heaters are powered by electricity, natural gas or propane. The water is then heated by either an electric element or a gas burner inside the unit. Generally, gas-fired tankless hot water heaters have a higher flow rate than electric ones.
The initial costs to install a tankless water heater are greater than purchasing a traditional storage hot water tank. But the best tankless water heaters will last significantly longer than a storage tank and boast lower annual operating and energy costs. We’ve already mentioned how little physical space they take up, and how quickly you’ll have access to hot water.
Selecting the Best Tankless Water Heater
There’s a lot to digest when considering a tankless water heater system, and Proactive Comfort can help you choose the best one for your situation and professionally install it for you. We’ll determine the correctly sized unit (gallons per minute flow rate), fuel types and their availability, energy efficiency and installation costs. We’ll also ensure local building code requirements are met, and all safety issues—especially with gas-fired water heaters—are completely covered.
Unless you possess professional-level skills, installing a tankless water heater should be performed by licensed plumbers and heating contractors such as the highly trained technicians at Proactive Comfort. Proper installation and maintenance will maximize your energy efficiency and keep your hot water flowing on demand. Contact us to schedule your tankless hot water heater consultation.