Hal Major © 2009
BobVilaContractors.com
Tankless water heaters have been in use in Europe for decades and are now the must have appliance in the United States. Up until recently, the tankless water heater was an ugly box mounted on the wall above the sink or bathtub/shower. However, recent innovations allow you to install the heater where a tank type water heater would be and still supply the entire home with endless hot water.
Space Saver
The latest improvement in the tankless water heater is the space saver units. These small footprint heaters supply up to 8.4 gallons per minute (gpm) of hot water. That’s enough to run three showers or a shower, a dishwasher and clothes washer at the same time. The units use a 3-inch unique intake/exhaust system that provides outside air for the burner and exhausts the carbon monoxide through a stack placed inside the air intake pipe.
Lifetime Warranty
Many of the new high tech tankless units carry a lifetime warranty on parts and components. The typical life of these water heaters is 20 years compared to the 5 to 10 years for a conventional holding tank water heater. The holding tank is the component that fails most often with the conventional heater and the water heater being tankless the probability of failure is greatly reduced.
No Leaks
The tankless water heater reduces the probability of water leaks or flooding from a failed water heater with a holding tank. The leaking or rupturing of the tank on conventional water heaters accounts for nearly 96% of failures and replacements. No tank equals no leaks.
Environmentally Friendly
The tankless water heater’s on-demand hot water feature reduces the consumption of energy by 30% or more. A tank type water requires the water to be constantly reheated and actually overheated to maintain the water temperature even when there is no demand for hot water.
Tankless Water Heaters Save You Money
Because a tankless heater only operates when you need hot water the use of gas or electricity is reduced. This reduced energy demand equates to savings on your utility bills. The extended life and lifetime warranty on many of the tankless units also means savings over the long-term.
Healthier For Your Family
A conventional water heater presents two hazards to your family’s health and safety.
1) Scalding from overheated water causes 3800 injuries and 34 deaths, on the average, every year in the United States. Tankless water heaters have a component in them called the NASA flow switch that prevents scalding.
2) Diseases that breed in domestic water heater systems effect from 10,000 to 100,000 people each year. The most common of the diseases is Legionnaire’s Disease that is a form of pneumonia.
An experienced and reputable contractor should do the installation of a tankless water heater. You can learn more about the tankless water heater and the benefits to you and your family of having one installed in your home by visiting the
U.S. Department of Energy.
