Pros and Cons of Having a Tankless Water Heater

In the era of compact, tankless water heaters are another testimony of the evergrowing success of minimalist technology These heaters work differently than the standard large (unnecessary) hot water volumes. They operate by heating cold water in a very short amount of time as it passes through. This is why they called them On-Demand Water Heaters.

Advantages

One of the major advantages of this type of water heaters is their size. These units are compact and won’t require much space to be installed as opposed to the conventional tank design. According to EnergyDepot, this type of water heaters can almost eliminate standby losses, a term used to refer to lost energy when unused hot water cools down.

The immediate production of hot water allows these units, when used, to waste less water. You may have deduced the fact that you don’t have to let the water run while you’re waiting for hot water to reach the tap next to you. Another cool thing about tankless on-demand water heaters is their longer expected lifespan as it’s, normally, 20 years which is 5, and sometimes 10 longer than that of tank type water heaters.

Disadvantages

Like all human-created things, tankless water heaters also have drawbacks. One of the most important negative points to notes is that inability of these units to supply enough hot water when using two devices simultaneously like for example for laundry and shower. Some brands have better water heaters than others, so this issue is relative.

Another con is to keep a nice constant temperature at different flow rates, you will need to equip the unit, if it doesn’t come with it, with a modulating temperature control. This is important as you don’t want the temperature to increase and decrease uncomfortably. This is more frequent when the pressure changes in various parts of your home.

Also, the on-demand feature of tankless water heaters makes of them a unit that requires a relatively high electric power to heat water fast. Another point, which is not really a drawback but I wanted to include it here, is that in case you will quire tankless gas water heaters, it will require to be vented to the outdoors. You have two choices when it comes to venting, either you use a conventional exhaust flue or a direct vent. Finally, check if the gas-powered unit has a pilot light that could waste energy.

I hope this post helped you answer a lot of questions about thankless water heaters. So don’t forget to read a review about the heater your about to purchase.