Think about all of the ways you use hot water. It’s not just for showering: you need hot water for washing your hands, rinsing the dishes, doing your laundry, and for other cleaning, cooking, and grooming tasks. In most homes, you can expect to turn on a hot water tap and feel the warmth in a matter of seconds. But have you ever stopped to think about how this works?
Most homes have a conventional storage tank water heater installed, the type that includes a large tank that is usually concealed from view but takes up quite a bit of space. Furthermore, these systems must stay heated at all times so that hot water is consistently available. A flame remains lit at all times in order to keep the burner hot, or an electric heating element is activated throughout the day. This means that you’re paying for energy that often goes unused, as hot water simply stays stagnant in the tank for most of the day.
Tankless water heaters eliminate this problem because they only switch on when you turn on a hot water tap in the home. When you turn on your shower, a computer alerts the heating elements to activate. These heat up a heat exchanger inside of the system. Then, as water pressure forces the water through the unit, it heats up quickly to meet your demands as it passes through the heat exchanger and finally flows out to the pipes.
Tankless water heaters are compact and powerful. However, in some cases, you may need to install two if there is a particularly high hot water demand in your home. Furthermore, some people complain about long wait times for tankless hot water in their homes, but new units should not have much of a problem with this. All in all, tankless water heaters are a very efficient choice and the initial cost is often upset over a matter of years.
Tankless water heaters may be the right choice for you, but they’re not best for every home. Be sure to consult with a technician, like the experienced professionals at Dynamic Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning before choosing your new water heater. We can help you to select and size your new unit and install it for you so that you don’t have to think about any step of the process.