When it becomes time to upgrade the existing water heater at your home, you have two options to choose from. You can go with a traditional cylindrical water heater that is fairly affordable and very common. You can also go with a tankless water heater that offers more energy efficiency and a longer lifespan.
Understanding Tankless Water Heater Functioning
At the very core, tankless water heaters produce hot water for your home. Unlike traditional water heaters, they do not preheat water. Rather, when you turn on the hot water faucet, water will start moving through your hot water supply line. This will turn on the tankless water heater and it’ll start warming all the water that runs through the line. Just like with a traditional water heater, tankless water heaters come with a thermostat so you can set the ideal temperature for your needs.
Energy-Efficiency
One of the more notable benefits of a tankless water heater is that it’s much more energy efficient than traditional water heaters. This comes down to the fact that it only heats water when you need it. Unlike traditional water heaters, tankless heaters don’t have a tank where they store water and continually preheat it until use.
Long Lifespan
Another great benefit of tankless water heaters is their long lifespan. This type of water heater will have a lifespan of around 15 to 20 years assuming it receives proper care. A traditional water heater only has a lifespan of 8 to 12 years. With a longer lifespan, you can enjoy replacing the unit less often. Plus, tankless water heaters have a longer warranty coverage period, so you can have peace of mind about replacing defective parts moving forward.
Smaller Design
Another notable benefit of tankless water heaters is their small design. These heaters get mounted right up on the wall, so they’re out of the way. With a traditional water heater, you have to worry about taking up space with its cylindrical tank that must be firmly positioned on the ground. The size difference is extremely notable when it comes to large-capacity water heaters, like 80 to 100-gallon units.
Endless Hot Water Supply
Probably the most significant benefit of tankless water heaters is their ability to provide an endless supply of hot water. Because they heat water as it flows through the water supply line, there’s no need to preheat water. Once it starts heating your water, you can continue to run your water heater to get as much water as you would like. This can be especially great news for homeowners who constantly deal with a lack of adequate hot water due to a growing family.
Versatile Fuel Options
Tankless water heaters can run on one of several different types of fuel. These include propane, natural gas, and electricity. Natural gas is going to be one of the cheapest fuels to burn while electricity is going to be the most expensive.
Safer Option
All tanked water heaters come with a slight explosion risk. These units are designed to have a pressure relief valve to release any excess pressure inside the tank. However, if not properly serviced, the valve can corrode and malfunction which won’t allow the excess pressure to be released. A tankless water heater doesn’t have any of this risk as there’s no tank that could explode.
Lower Utility Bills
The Department of Energy has suggested that homeowners can save up to 34% on their water heater bills each year by switching to a tankless water heater. This is good news for homeowners who are looking to reduce their energy bills alongside their carbon footprint.
Tax Credit Eligibility
One of the best benefits of getting a new tankless water heater is that it could make you eligible for a federal tax credit. You can get a list of tankless water heaters that qualify for this tax credit on the ENERGY STAR website. Eligible homeowners can claim up to $3,200 under the Inflation Reduction Act. You may even find that your state government, local municipality, and utility provider offer further incentives for purchasing these highly energy-efficient products.
Tips on Choosing a New Tankless Water Heater
If you’ve decided that a tankless water heater is the best investment for your home, there are a few factors that you’ll want to consider when selecting the perfect one. The most obvious is going to be the type of fuel that you want your new water heater to use. If you have natural gas in your home, then selecting a natural gas water heater is going to offer the most cost-effective operation.
However, if you don’t have natural gas, you have the option of going with either propane or electricity. With propane, you’ll need an on-site fuel storage tank. Propane is typically cheaper than electricity to run. However, electric tankless water heaters are going to be cheaper and easier to install than propane or natural gas tankless water heaters.
Another factor to consider is the gallons per minute or GPM that a new tankless water heater offers. A tankless water heater’s GPM is how much hot water it can produce in a given minute. You want to ensure that your new water heater is capable of producing enough hot water to supply all of your fixtures at once.
For example, if you plan on running your dishwasher and washing machine while taking a hot shower, you want to ensure that your water heater is capable of producing enough hot water. You can determine the GPM necessary by adding up the flow rate of all your appliances and plumbing fixtures. One of our plumbing professionals can assist you in determining the right size water heater for your home. Remember to take future hot water demands into consideration so you can accommodate them without having to upgrade to a larger water heater in the near future.
Another thing to consider is the temperature rise. This is going to be the difference between the incoming water temperature and the outgoing desired water temperature. For example, if the incoming water has a temperature of 40 degrees and you want it to come out at 140 degrees, then you’ll need a temperature rise of 100 degrees. You need to purchase a water heater that’s capable of creating your desired temperature rise.
Tankless water heaters can come along with a lot of unique convenience features that you can take advantage of, depending on your budget. Some tankless water heaters will send an alert to your smartphone when it’s time for a filter change or there’s an issue with your system. Other tankless water heaters will allow you to adjust your temperature setting directly from your smartphone and monitor your real-time energy usage.
Reliable Tankless Water Heater Service
Matheson Heating Air & Plumbing offers reliable tankless water heater service to the Commerce, MI, area. We can also help with all your tank-style water heaters, heating, air conditioning, indoor air quality, and plumbing needs. Book an appointment with one of our plumbers by calling our office today.