Your water heater is failing, so now what? Even in an emergency where your water heater has quit working completely, you’ll want to shop around and learn more about all of the different options of home water heaters available on the market. Many older homes have tank-style water heaters that fill with hot water and hold it until needed. But people are making the switch more and more to tankless home water heaters where water isn’t held in a reservoir. The professional technicians at Environmental Heating & Air Solutions are experts in water heaters, so let’s learn about the differences between the two styles and the benefits of making the switch to a tankless unit.
What Is the Difference?
Traditional home water heaters have a reservoir or large holding tank that holds hot water until you turn on the hot water faucet. Using this type of water heater means that you will have heated water in the tank at all times. The only time your tank sits empty is when you have used up all the hot water already in it and the unit is trying to catch up on replacing it. Once the tank is depleted, you have to wait for it to fill back up for more hot water. With this style of water heater, the water in your tank is kept hot at all times. Because the unit keeps the water hot, your water heater is running constantly to keep the water at the right temperature.
With a tankless water heater, you have hot water on demand, but it is only heated when called for use. There is no holding tank on a tankless water heater that keeps the hot water on standby. This method allows water to be heated only when needed, such as when you turn on the hot water faucet in the shower or sink. The water from a tankless water heater runs through the unit and heats up by passing by a heating element before being sent through your pipes to your fixtures.
Benefits of a Tankless Water Heater
When looking for a new water heater, you should know the hot water needs of your home. How much hot water do you use in short periods and throughout the day? If you have heavy consumption, such as several people taking showers in the morning or washing many loads of laundry per day, you need more hot water. You should then compare the different styles and models to find what fits best with your family’s habits and needs. With tankless water heaters becoming more and more popular, it’s a good idea to take a look at the benefits they have over traditional tank-style water heaters. Here, we’ve put together a short list of some of the top benefits of having a tankless water heater rather than the traditional style of heaters with water-holding tanks.
Environmental Impact
Tankless water heaters are up to 35% more energy efficient than traditional home water heaters. This reduced energy consumption has a major impact on your home’s carbon footprint. The tankless heaters only run when hot water is needed, meaning you’ll only use energy for the unit when hot water is being used. With a tank-style water heater, the unit runs constantly to keep water heated as it is held inside the tank.
Cost Savings
Using less energy to power your water heater means a lower utility bill. Tankless water heaters only use electricity when there is water needing to be heated for immediate use, which means you’ll save a good chunk of change on your monthly bill. How much you’ll save ultimately depends on the hot water usage in your home, but a tankless water heater will reduce your electric bill.
Endless Hot Water
Using a traditional water heater, you have a tank filled with hot water waiting for use. Tank-style water heaters vary in size, meaning the water holding tank may be larger or smaller depending on the particular unit you purchase. If you use a large amount of hot water in a short amount of time, the tank could run out of hot water, and you’ll be stuck waiting for more water to be heated and the tank to refill. This often happens when you have multiple showers, the dishwasher, or the laundry going at the same time. With a tankless water heater, you’ll have on-demand hot water at all times, which means you’ll never run out. No matter how many showers your family takes, you’ll all be able to get warm enough water.
Saves Space
Without the large holding tank, a new tankless water heater takes up far less space than your traditional model. You don’t need any base for the heater to sit on, as most are simply mounted to the wall. The smaller size means you have more room for storage or other needs. You also have more flexibility in placing the water heater given the smaller design.
Safety Benefits
With a tankless water heater, you have no risk of gas leaks, explosions, and fires. Although the risk is small, there is a higher chance of catastrophe with traditional water heaters. In addition, you don’t have built-up sediment and debris from standing water with tankless models. Without the buildup, you have safer water flowing out of your home’s taps without the additional need for flushing and cleaning.
Less Maintenance
Because your traditional tank-style water heater holds water in the tank at all times, over time, you’ll begin to have sediment and buildup in your tank. Your traditional water heater should be flushed and cleaned at least once per year to remove this debris. In some areas, you may even need to flush the tank more often depending on the water filtration system and source of water to your home. A tankless water heater has no water holding area, meaning that you aren’t susceptible to this sediment building up, and there is no need to flush your system.
Longer Life Span
A typical traditional water heater with a holding tank has a life span of about 10-15 years. A tankless water heater is estimated to last up to 20 years. With this difference in longevity, you could find yourself buying two traditional tank-style water heaters in the same period that a tankless water heating unit would serve you. Since you have a longer lifespan with a tankless heater, you save money in the long run on replacement and installation costs.
Call Today to Make the Switch
Now that you have information on all the benefits of switching to a tankless water heater, reach out to Environmental Heating & Air Solutions to get your new home water heater installed. Our dedicated, caring, and professional technicians have the skills and experience needed to install your new unit with top customer satisfaction.
Don’t delay any longer. We can help with any of your plumbing, heating or air conditioning needs as well as indoor air quality in Roseville, CA or the surrounding areas. Call Environmental Heating & Air Solutions right now and get a new tankless water heater installed in your home.
