What is A Tankless Water Heater?

What is A Tankless Water Heater?

You can call them demand water heaters, instantaneous water heaters or tankless. The terms all mean the same thing: a hot water heater for your home that can save you money.

Tankless water heaters are a more energy-efficient option and can lower your water heating bill every month. At Home Comfort Experts, we believe tankless water heaters are a smart solution for many homes. Here are questions most consumers consider before purchasing a tankless water heater.

How Does It Work?

When you turn on the hot water tap in your kitchen or bathroom sink, cold water travels through a pipe into the water heater. Typically, smaller ones are heated by an electric element, while large tankless water heaters are gas-fueled. They only operate while in use and are quiet, wall-mounted, and take up much less space than a traditional heater. You burn less fuel because you don’t constantly heat a tank full of water even when you don’t need it as with standard tank storage models. We will help you choose the size, make and model that works best for the needs of your home and family.

The Benefits of On-Demand

Continuous hot water on demand whenever you want it. How glorious does that sound? First thing in the morning to ease into your Monday? After a stressful day to unwind and relax? To warm up after shoveling and sledding with the kids? The flow is always reliable with a tankless heater. If you want unlimited hot water in your life, this will change everything for you.

What About Maintenance?

Tanked water heaters, which have long been the standard in our comfortable homes, require more than a little maintenance. You may have learned the hard way if you don’t drain them periodically,  minerals and sludge inherent in the water builds up and you end up with a corroded and leaking tank. This inconvenient, expensive and dispiriting event invariably occurs at the worst possible time. You can avoid this hassle and financial burden with a tankless heater. Since water isn’t sitting inside the tank, nothing settles out and there is no buildup. There are no elements that need to be replaced in a tankless heater. And, you most likely won’t need a new one for 20 years, twice as long as your old water heater is expected to last.

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The Downside

If you have a busy household in which everyone gets ready at once, you may encounter a problem getting sufficient hot water to more than one spigot or showerhead at the same time. Running the dishwasher while a shower is in use may interfere with the hot water supply or water pressure. There are a couple of simple workarounds if you anticipate that being a problem. You can install two tankless heaters that can be connected in parallel or purchase a larger heater; ask your Home Comfort Expert what size is right for your home; every family is different. You may also want to consider installing a separate tankless water heater for appliances such as the washing machine and dishwasher. That may be a good solution for you. Just ask our Home Comfort technician if a tankless water heater would work for your household.

Home Comfort Experts are always here for you. We want to talk with you about your needs and find solutions together that make your life easier. Is installing a tankless water heater the best option for you? Let’s continue the conversation.