Are Tankless Water Heaters Really Worth the Hype?

How do you know when it's the right time to upgrade to a tankless water heater? One sure sign is if your current tank water heater is leaking. Another is that it's no longer heating the water as it should. Maybe everything is still working perfectly, but your tank water heater is simply not meeting your capacity needs.

Many people upgrade to a tankless water heater when they get tired of waiting for the water to heat back up. Doing laundry, running the dishwasher, and trying to bathe all of your kids is easier with endless hot water.

Access to unlimited hot water is a great reason to upgrade your water heater, but there are several other benefits that you may not realize. In this article, we'll share the top reasons why upgrading to a tankless water heater could be a smart decision for your home.

Tank vs. Tankless: Which Type of Water Heater is Better?

While there may not be a definite winner in the debate of which type of water heater is better, there are certain situations in which one has the upper hand.

Purchase Price

If your current water heater is beyond repair, but your budget for a new heater is limited, a traditional tank-style is probably the right choice. Initially, tankless water heaters are more expensive than conventional tank heaters.

Energy Consumption

Tankless heaters use less energy, so they usually end up costing less over time. Tank heaters consume electricity at all times to keep their large tanks ready for use. Tankless heaters, on the other hand, only consume energy when you use hot water.

A tankless water heater could help keep your energy bill low in a vacation home. You could also save money if you travel often, or just don't consume a lot of hot water. If you use less than 40 gallons of water per day, installing a tankless heater can be 24%- 34% more energy efficient. Only heating water on demand can lead to significant energy savings.

Meeting Hot Water Demand

Homes that require two tank water heaters to meet a family's water demand can fulfill the same water capacity with a single tankless heater. If you have a large home or family, you might really appreciate having an endless supply of hot water. Your teens can take long showers, and you can keep up on laundry and dishes with no downtime.

One downside of tankless water heaters is that they can only heat a specific capacity of water at a time. If, for example, two people are showering and you're running the dishwasher, you may experience a decline in water volume. The water will still be hot, but the volume has to stretch between multiple areas.

Many homeowners choose to install a large tankless heater in a central area of the home and then add a smaller tankless heater in the master bath. While this isn't necessary to supply an entire house with endless hot water, it does help homeowners maintain their desired volume of water in the master bathroom.

Maintaining Your Tankless Water Heater

Tankless water heaters generally have a long lifespan of 20 years or more (compared to 10 -- 15 for tank water heaters). When you sign up for regularly scheduled maintenance appointments with GuinGuard, we'll flush your tankless heater yearly. Flushing helps prevent scale buildup that can reduce your water heater's energy efficiency and shorten its life.

Another way to improve your water heater's energy efficiency and extend its life is to install a water softener. Hard water is full of minerals that build up inside appliances and on surfaces. Especially if you live in an area with very hard water, a water softener may be a smart investment for all of your appliances.

Give us a call to learn more about water softeners and to schedule your installation by a Guin Service technician.

Tankless Water Heater Accessories

Tankless heaters never run out of hot water, but it can take a few minutes to get the hot water from the heater to your shower or faucet. If you want instantaneous, endless hot water, ask a Guin professional about a recirculating pump.

A recirculating loop runs once every 30 -- 60 minutes to move hot water through your pipes so that you have hot water immediately. The circulators do draw energy each time they activate, but the overall energy consumption is still much less than a traditional tank water heater.

If you already have a tankless water heater in your home, Guin professionals can retrofit your water system with a recirculating pump. If you're upgrading from a conventional tank water heater, several tankless heaters already have a built-in circulator.

A second helpful accessory is a water sensor. The most common way to discover a problem with a water heater is to find a leak. A digital water sensor can send an alert to your phone so that you can address the leak before it causes major damage. Some water sensors have a valve that can automatically cut the water supply when they sense a leak to prevent damage

You can use water sensors for any plumbing in your home, not just water heaters. Some homeowner's insurance policies will even reimburse the cost of installing a water sensor or give credits off insurance premiums.

Are You Ready to Upgrade?

If you're interested in endless hot water and reducing your monthly energy consumption, contact Guin Service today. We'll answer any remaining questions that you have and schedule your installation appointment.