Tankless Water Heater Info
Tankless water heaters are a great way to decrease your energy bill as traditional hot water heating systems do use a lot of energy. Typically keeping a tank of water constantly hot is about 30% of your energy bill. Tankless water heaters are a great way to reduce your energy costs and is a very efficient way to use energy.
Instead of heating a full tank of water and keeping it at a hot temperature the tankless water heater heats water through a heat exchanger only when hot water is needed. You will still use power to operate the water heater but not nearly as much as maintaining a tank of water at a specific temperature. Tankless water heaters can be used for your entire houses water needs or for dishwashers, remote bathrooms, hot tubs, poolhouse, remote BBQ, outdoor sinks and more.
It is possible to purchase an electric tankless water heater or a gas fueled tankless water heater. Each type of heater has different requirement as a gas tankless water heater needs to have proper ventilation and the electric heaters require a specific voltage and need to be on their own circuit breaker. You may need to make some renovations to your home depending on the type of tankless water heater you desire.
When choosing a model you need to first think what do you want the tankless water heater for? If you only want the tankless water heater for a single fixture then you should look into the following models, Stiebel Eltron Point of Use, Chronomite Instant Flow SR, or Eemax Single Point tankless water heaters. If you want to boost the heat in ling pipers then a thermostatic system is perfect or to provide hot water to two fixtures then a flow controlled model is best.
Some larger tankless water heaters that can service your entire house and have multiple fixtures include the Eemax EX280T2T series Three, Stiebel Eltron Tempra, and Rheem Indoor Gas fired Tankless water heater. There are even larger units that can also service outdoor areas as well as the entire house.
Despite the fact that tankless water heaters are very energy efficient they do come with some high start up costs. Though the cost of purchasing and installing a system is offset by the sayings you will receive by using a tankless hot water system. You may need to install some electrical outlets to power the electronics and fan involved and if you use a gas fueled model then you will need to have proper ventilation. Tankless water heaters also should be cleaned once a year to get rid of any calcium buildup.
There are some disadvantages to the tankless water heater in that the temperature of the water is inconsistent. If you only need a trickle of warm water then there is a chance that the heat exchanger will not turn on and heat the water. It also takes some time to heat up the water so tankless systems do not provide immediate hot water. Since many tankless systems are electric you will not have hot water if the power goes out.