On Demand Water Heaters | Tankless Water Heater Information

Tankless Water Heaters

This site hopes to be a comprehensive source for all of your on demand tankless water heater information needs which includes reviews, specific model facts and specifications, tax credits or tax rebates, DIY guides, installation services, comparisons,  and much more.

Tankless waterheaters are often also called ”instant water heaters “,or ”on demand water heaters. ” With conventional hot water heaters,you’ve probably already experienced the most common problem,not having enough  hot water for two or more people simultaneously in need of it or having to wait for the traditional water heater to boil more water because the previous user used most of the hot water at the point of use (shower,kitchen sink,etc.).  The tankless hot water heater is designed to alleviate and solve these issues.  While enjoying a constant supply of hot water might be the most common reason to switch to an instant water heater,there are a few pros and cons to consider.

Tankless Water Heater Pros and Cons:

ADVANTAGES:

  • The main benefit for most users is almost instantaneous and constant hot water availability.
  • Quieter operation due to the fact that water is only being heated as needed and the design of the heating mechanism.
  • For some commercial and residential users,there have been reports of cost savings,some small,some huge. These reports come from online consumer sites,manufacturers who publish customer reviews,and individuals on a variety of  forums,including plumbing and green energy sites.  According to our research,there  have been very few formal long term studies that verify conclusively cost savings using tankless hot water heaters.
  • For electric tankless  hot water heaters,a pilot light does not exist which would be constantly on and consuming gas daily.
  • One of the best tankless water heater benefits is that it saves space.  They are very small compared to their conventional counterpart.
  • Lower water damage risk.  There’s no large containment of hot water which may rupture at some point.

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Of all the types of hot water heaters  tankless costs combined with installation service fees are more expensive than a conventional water heater.  Natural gas tankless heaters also require venting and depending on where the new unit is located ,this can add to the total costs.  However,energy savings from  government tax credits may compensate partially for this.
  • One side effect of on demand hot water heaters is the “Cold Water Sandwich Effect”where users experience cold water suddenly,between two segments of warm or hot water.  For some users,this is an acceptable trade off.  Once in use,the supply of  hot water is unlimited,and this is the reason most users switch to a tankless design.
  • Yearly maintenance flushing to get rid of mineral build up in the system is usually necessary.
  • If you’re considering buying an electric tankless hot water unit,there would be no hot water should a power outage occur.  A conventional water heater would not be affected by power outages since it’s using gas.
  • Delays in hot water.  A major part of delays in hot water  is due to the  water sitting in the pipes between the heater unit and the point of usage (shower head,lavatory sink,kitchen faucet,hot tub,sauna,etc.).  So the longer the distance between the unit and the point of use,the longer the wait for the hot water.  Sizing of the pipeline also contributes to how fast water travels from the heating tank to its destination.  There is also the fact that it takes about several seconds for the unit to actually heat the water as it must detect water flow first before activating any heating elements.  This varies with each manufacturer.  Some manufacturers also try to minimize this effect in their product design.  One of the easiest solutions to this is locating the tankless heater very close to the point of use and making sure the pipeline to the point of use is as short as possible.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Thorough Research:One thing to keep in mind while making a decision to buy a tankless water heater is that many factors can affect the success of a project, and therefore a lot of  research and consideration is necessary  if  you plan  to do the installation yourself.  Even if you don’t plan to install one yourself,you should be armed  with at least the very basics and guidelines so that you can monitor installations performed by plumbers.  One mistake in planning by you or the plumber,can cost  hundreds  or even thousands of dollars.  Better to be informed than to incur unnecessary charges.

Hiring Professional Installers: Alternatively, if you’re planning to hire a company or plumber to do this for you,make sure they have ample experience with the particular tankless heater brand or specific model  they are about to install and are licensed plumbers with verifiable references.  Call them and ask a lot of questions.  We’ll provide a strong foundation of tankless water heaters information so you can ask your plumber the right questions.  You may also need an electrician,especially for electric tankless water heaters.  We can not stress enough that you carefully choose the right professionals to install your tankless unit.   If at all possible,get at least 3 installers to come by and give their estimates.

Careful Planning: A good analysis of your home’s layout,space availability,water pipe aspects (diameter,lengths,sizes,routes, and conditions) ,electrical system,your water source,your climate year round,etc.–all need to be taken under consideration before leaping in and buying a new water  heater.

Instructions and Warranty:If you plan to install an on demand hot water heater,please do yourself a favor and make sure you read the manual and instructions,especially regarding warranty rules.  Some manufacturers are very very picky and may void your warranty if you don’t follow their installation instructions to the letter.

Manufacturer’s Technical Support:What we’ve found to also be important from reading reviews on a few sites is that the customer service and technical support from manufacturers is a crucial factor in buying any instant water heater model or brand,especially if anything goes wrong.  Thus our rating sections for each model will include,as much as possible,our impressions of customer service and technical support for each manufacturer from public forums and sites.   We will also  contact each manufacturer by email to see the response times.  Usually,but not always this is a very good indicator of how much a company cares about customer service,and ultimately how they treat you as a customer.  So please check our tankless waterheater manufacturers page (see link below under recommended readings).  Time permitting,we will even attempt to call their customer service department or technical support personnel to see how knowledgeable and helpful each manufacturer is.

Having an on demand water heater can be a joy,if you do your research well.

 

Recommended Readings:

  • Tankless Water Heater Buying Guide –This is a must read if you’re new to on demand tankless water heaters technology and will provide you a solid foundation for choosing a tankless water heater.
  • Tankless Water Heater Brands – We give you a list of tankless water heater manufacturers and our  impressions of our experiences with their customer service department.
  • Federal Tax Credit Tankless Water Heater for 2011 - Learn the exact steps needed to get  your tankless water heater savings through a tax credit.
  • Many considerations go into the installation of a tankless water heater,but one is very important for all households with young children.  Read more about one of the most important aspects of  tankless water heater safety.