Even though traditional storage water heaters have been the household standard for almost 100 years, the tankless home water heater (a relative new kid on the block) promises a much more efficient way to provide hot water without the waste of having to "store" hot water, or the problems of having to run out of hot water as is true of traditional storage water heaters.

Here are some advantages of the tankless water heater as compared to the traditional storage water heater:

  • Tankless hot water heaters don't store hot water

With traditional water heaters, stored water doesn't just have to be heated, but it has to be continually reheated. Radiant heat loss translates to a 20 to 40% energy loss versus the tank less water heater's "on-demand" hot water function.

  • Tankless hot water heaters don't run out of hot water

Tankless water heaters provide a ready "on-demand" how water supply by heating water nearly instantaneously when it's needed, instead of storing it. By contrast, traditional hot water heaters store hot water, so when you run out, you have to wait for more water to heat up.

  • Tankless hot water heaters don't overheat water

Because traditional water heaters have to be set pretty high in temperature (about 130°) to account for radiant heat loss, you waste energy and also risk injury to small children in the way of scalding. Tankless water heaters let you set the temperature much lower, close to the actual temperature you want to use the water at. This not only reduces scalding, but it saves energy.

  • Tankless hot water heaters don't have the same problems with mineral deposits

Tankless water heaters don't store water, so even if you've got hard water in your area, a tankless water heater will have far less mineral buildup, which also means that it will be more efficient and suffer less damage, such as leaks or ruptures caused by the mineral deposits.

  • Tankless hot water heaters don't have the same problems with bacterial growth

Traditional water heaters encourage bacterial growth such as legionnaires disease; by contrast, because tankless hot water heaters don't store water, they don't encourage bacterial growth, as do traditional storage tanks.

  • Tankless hot water heaters have a longer life

Most conventional water heaters last from six to 12 years; they suffer problems such as rust and mineral buildup as previously discussed. By contrast, tankless water heaters are not continually exposed to water and therefore can last more than 20 years.

  • Tankless hot water heaters take up much less space

Tankless water heaters take up much less space (about the size of a briefcase for an electric unit) as compared to a conventional storage tank. This also makes them much easier to dispose of once they do need replacement as compared to a traditional storage tank, which takes up a lot of landfill space and is expensive to recycle.

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Filed under: Water Heating