It’s no secret that traditional tank type water heaters are far from efficient. They heat and store hot water constantly, whether we need it or not. Even when you’re at work, sleeping or on vacation your tank type water heater is working away, burning energy. Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, turn on when you need them, and turn off when you don’t. Subsequently, they come with many advantages.
One advantage that tankless hot water offers over tank type models is an endless supply of hot water. We’ve all been in a shower, only to be shocked by a sudden surge of cold water. This is a big disadvantage that comes with traditional tank type units. They have a limited capacity. The tankless water heaters will never run out of hot water, as water is continuously heated as it passes through the heater.
You get clean water with a tankless system. Traditional water heaters store water in their tanks. Over time these tanks are susceptible to rust and scale build-up. The older your tank, the more rusty it can become. Rather than showering with water from an old rusty tank, tankless units allow you to shower with clean water, as water just simply passes through the unit as it’s heated. Additionally, the life of tankless units may be longer than that of traditional tank types due to fewer corrosion issues.
A more obvious advantage is that tankless water heaters come in very compact sizes. The fact that they’re much smaller than traditional tank units, affords them a number of advantages. Their space saving design not only frees up extra room, but they can be located in a number of locations. Tankless water heaters are commonly installed on walls, in attics, in closets, inside or outside. Special precautions must be followed for proper installation, however.
The most notable advantage of all is the energy savings inherit with tankless hot water heaters. Whether you’re running an electric tankless water heater or gas-fired tankless water heater , the savings are often substantial. Traditional tank water heaters have to constantly maintain hot water temperatures. This is not a very efficient method, as much energy is lost. Tankless applications allow you to eliminate these unnecessary standby losses. Depending on a number of variables, such as hot water usage, your climate, and overall efficiency of your tankless set-up, you can save anywhere from 10 to 50 percent on your hot water bill.



June 5th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
What are the disadvantages of a tankless system?
July 9th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I was just talking to my pop, who is in the middle of putting one of these into his house. I was wondering how they compare to what we are currently using. We have oil heat, so our hot water is heated by our boiler. So what is the cost of adding such a system, and what are the potential savings?