Benefits of Tankless Water Heaters

If you had a choice as to how to heat up your water, which of these options would you choose? Would you heat the water up and then keep it warm until you needed it, which could be in five minutes or in five days? Or would you just heat the water a little at a time as it is needed?

The second approach certainly sounds like a better one. It sounds silly to heat up water and keep it hot just in case. However, for years, that is exactly how hot water heaters worked. Thankfully, that is now changing. Homeowners are starting to instead buy tankless water heaters, which warm water a little at a time, only when it is needed. But what are the advantages of this tankless design? Well, it all boils down to this:

Tankless water heaters don't constantly use energy.

It is true that today's hot water tanks are more efficient than those of years past. However, you're still paying for the energy needed to keep water warm indefinitely, even when you go days without using that hot water. A tankless system only uses energy when you need to heat water. If you go three days without using hot water, you'll go three days without your hot water heater using any energy. Not only will this lower your energy bills, but since most energy in the U.S. is obtained from fossil fuels, it is better for the earth.

Tankless water heaters are less likely to flood your home due to a leak.

A leaking hot water tank can cause a lot of damage. There is a whole 50, 60, or even 100 gallons of water in the tank, and if a leak lets it all seep out, you will be facing quite a flood. Tankless water heaters are much less likely to leak in general since they just have pipes running through them and don't hold onto any water. And if they do spring a small leak, you will only get a few drops of water on the floor — an amount that is easy to clean up with a rag.

Tankless water heaters are small and can be mounted on the wall.

Tankless water heaters are about the size of a shoebox. Some are slightly larger — about the size of two shoeboxes next to one another. In any event, these units are small. You can mount a tankless water heater on the wall of your basement, or even on the wall of a utility cupboard. There's really no reason to clear a  big space for this. Compare this to a hot water tank, which not only takes up a lot of floor space but needs to be set away from other items so it does not leak on them or start them on fire. If you replace an old tank water heater with a tankless one, you'll gain some storage space.

Tankless water heaters don't run out of hot water.

Nothing is worse than being the last one to shower, and then having the shower run cold because the hot water tank is empty. Even if you're one of the first ones to shower, you have to be conscious of how much water you're using so the tank does not run out before everyone is done. With a tankless water heater, you have endless hot water. Whether you take a long shower or have everyone shower one after another, everyone will get a nice, warm shower.

To learn more about tankless water heaters, contact a company like Quality Plumbing. Embrace the benefits above when you have one installed. 


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