What is a Tankless Water Heater?

It’s a cold morning, and you have to get to work by 9:00 a.m. After waking, you rush to the shower and bask in the water’s pleasant warmth. While you are melting away in the steam dreams of the water falling all around, how often do you think about where that luxurious water comes from? Not at all most likely. Perhaps it’s time to not only find out where that hot water comes from but also consider an upgrade—an upgrade to a tankless water heater.
You may be asking: “What is a tankless water heater?” Well, to keep it short, a tankless water heater provides hot water only as it is needed. It doesn’t have the standby energy losses that storage water heaters do. Not only is this good for the environment, but it’s good for your wallet too. For these reasons, here’s a crash course on the tankless water heater and how ServiceWhale can help you get one for your home.

How it Works

Tankless water heaters heat water without a storage tank. When someone, let’s say you, for example, turns a hot water tap on, cold water moves through a pipe into the unit. From there an element, either gas or electric, heats the water. As a result, a tankless water heater delivers a steady supply of hot water. No more waiting for a storage tank to fill up with hot water. It sounds almost too good to be true right? Well, just as anything in life, a tankless water heater has its pros and cons.
The Pros and Cons of a Tankless Water Heater
Let’s talk numbers here. For homes that use up to four gallons or less of hot water a day, tankless water heaters can be up to 33 percent more energy efficient than storage tank heaters. For homes that use a lot of water, they can still be up to 15 percent more efficient. It seems like everybody wins here, however, the initial cost of a tankless water heater is greater than that of a conventional storage heater.
Don’t let that deter you, though, tankless water heaters last longer and have cheaper operating costs. It will pay for itself in no time. As an added bonus, they have parts that are cheap to replace, so if anything goes wrong, and you rely on ServiceWhale, it won’t cost an arm and a leg. Now that you’re sold on going tankless, let’s see just how you’ll go about selecting a product.

 

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Buying Your Water Heater

Just because we’ve been discussing tankless water heaters here, that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. Each house is different and perhaps a tankless water heater might not be the one for you. Buying a water heater can be tricky, but thankfully there are professionals out there who would be more than willing to help you out. The size of the fuel tank, availability, energy efficiency, fuel type and cost are all things you should consider before buying a tankless water heater.
Actually, it’s something you should consider when buying any water heater really. The process may seem a bit intimidating, which is why ServiceWhale helps you find the perfect contractor to make the whole operation go as smoothly as possible. These professionals can help you pick the perfect system for your home and install it flawlessly for your family to enjoy, worry-free, for years to come.