Are you thinking about investing in a tankless water heater? Before making a purchase, consider the pros and cons of a tankless water heating system to ensure that it’s appropriate for your situation.
Unlike conventional storage water heaters, which typically keep 30-50 gallons of water warm at all times whether you need hot water or not, tankless water heaters – also known as demand water heaters – heat water as you use it, which saves you money.
Besides lower energy costs, tankless water heaters offer a number of other benefits:
- Tankless water heating systems last 20 years or more, unlike conventional models, which need replacing every 10-15 years.
- They supply hot water continuously, which means no more cold showers.
- They make it easy to change the water temperature for different applications. Keep the temperature between 98 and 110 degrees for most applications – avoiding the risk of burns – but increase it to 120 degrees or more when running the dishwasher.
- They take up much less room than conventional water heaters, a plus if you have limited space in your home.
- Tankless systems eliminate the risk of water damage from a leaking tank.
But tankless water heaters have drawbacks that may make them unsuitable for your situation:
- Tankless water heating systems cost more initially compared to conventional water heaters. If your budget is tight, this might make them an unfeasible option.
- They have minimum flow requirements, which means the heater might not turn on when running only small amounts of water at a time – such as when turning water on and off frequently while doing dishes.
- Tankless systems have maximum flow capacities, so simultaneous hot water flow might not be possible. For example, you might not be able to take a shower while also doing a load of laundry and still have hot water. This problem can be solved by the installation of multiple units, but that will increase your initial installation costs. Bottom line, if you correctly size your tankless system (with one or more units), flow capacity shouldn’t be an issue.
Still not sure if tankless water heating is the right choices for you? Let our expert technicians at Climate Control Company help you decide. We serve Western Colorado with reliable and quality HVAC services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about tankless water heaters and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
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