Tankless water heaters are also known as instant or on-demand water heaters. They instantly heat the water as it flows through their coils. As the name says, they don’t contain tanks for storing water.
And these tankless heaters are even energy efficient. There are many differences between a traditional and tankless heater.
In this blog, let us discuss the pros and cons of tankless heaters and whether you should install one in your home.
Pros of tankless water heater
There are various enticing facts about tankless water heaters.
The size of heaters. The first advantage of this heater is the size. It is small compared to traditional ones and won’t occupy huge spaces. You mount these heaters on the walls.
Another benefit is an unlimited supply of hot water. You get an endless supply of hot water. You will receive uninterrupted service. Even a three-hour shower won’t exhaust the supply of water. You can even fill tubs with this heater!
Energy efficient. Third, the most alluring benefit of these tankless water heaters is that they are energy efficient. They consume less energy, and who doesn’t want that?
As there are no tanks to store the water and heat it, energy doesn’t get spent on standby. Some energy-efficient tanks, including the Bosch Greentherm 9900 series unit, use 150 therms of natural gas annually, whereas tank water heaters use 225 therms of natural gas annually.
And finally, these tankless heaters are more durable than traditional heaters. Tank heaters have a life span of 6-9 years, whereas tankless heaters have a life of almost 12-15 years.
Cons of the heaters
But with the pros come the cons. So here are the cons of tankless heaters.
The price of the tankless water heater is a significant drawback. Both the device and the installation costs are higher than the tank heaters. They require special venting and better gas lines. Often they are difficult to install. It means a higher rate of installation.
The limited supply at once. Yes, these tanks can give you unlimited hot water, but there is a limit to how much it can deliver at once. Tank heaters can supply hot water as much as needed, but tankless heaters heat the water as it passes through the device.
They need more time to heat the water than the traditional heater. Hence to maintain the flow of hot water, you need a large unit. A small heater might not be enough for cold places.
To reduce the delay in getting the hot water, you can install a tank that can act as a temperature regulator. But then, your system can’t be tankless.
The heater heats the water in its coils. The cold water in the heat exchanger coil will flow to the fixture if the heater gets turned off after use and then again turned on. This cold water slug is a cold water sandwich you never experience with tank heaters.
Hard water ruins the heaters. While it is true that hard water is difficult on practically every heater, they are much worse on tankless heaters.
Many tankless water heaters come with a warning. The heater gets damaged when the hardness level of water exceeds the specific level. And it is not surprising if your place has more hard water than listed.
The mineral deposits can ruin your tanks within a year or more. Experts suggest that you can solve such problems by regularly cleaning the filters and draining the system.
Electricity and flow rate. The tankless water heaters require electricity. It means numerous things could go wrong during installation. Great technology goes into building tankless heaters, and a small mistake can ruin everything.
And for tankless heaters to function, there should be a specific flow rate function, like 2 gallons per second. Yes, you read that right. And we have seen many old houses where the flow rate never reaches 2 gallons per minute.