If you are building a new home and are looking for the best way to provide hot water to every part of the house, or if it’s time to replace that old water heater, you may be considering going tankless. At the same time, though, you may have a lot of questions about the different ways to produce hot water. How do tankless and traditional water heaters differ? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
A traditional water heater comes with a tank, which normally stores anywhere from 30 to 50 gallons of heated water. When you turn on a hot water faucet or run the dishwasher or washing machine, hot water is drawn directly from the tank, which is then refilled and kicks on to heat the new water. Conversely, a tankless water heater uses some type of heat source—it could be gas or electrical heat—to heat water on demand, essentially as it passes through the system.
Traditional Water Heaters
One of the key advantages to a traditional water heater, such as a Rheem, is cost. You may be able to install a water heater with tank for less than half what it would cost for a tankless water heater. In addition, traditional water heaters tend to be easier and less expensive to repair and/or replace.
On the other hand, a traditional water heater will cost more to heat the water, as you need to keep reheating the water to keep it at temperature, even if it doesn’t get used all day. A traditional water heater occupies a lot more space, because you’ll need room for the tank. Furthermore, if you use too much hot water in a short period of time, you’ll run out of hot water. Finally, a tanked water heater has a shelf life of between 10 and 15 years, as a general rule.
Tankless Water Heaters
According to studies, most homes use less than 40 gallons of water a day. If yours is one of them, you can save up to 1/3 of the costs of heating water by using a tankless, such as a product by Navien. A tankless water heater takes up very little room, and can be placed in the back of a closet or on an outside wall. Most tankless water heaters have an average life of more than 20 years. Furthermore, unless you are trying to pull hot water from a number of sources at the same time, you’ll never run out of hot water, as it is created on demand.
A tankless comes with a higher upfront cost, particularly if you are retrofitting an old house.
Public Service Plumbers
5610 Dyer Street
Dallas, Texas 75206
(214) 753-4633
We offer plumbing installation and repair services to individuals and businesses throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow, Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Coppell, Garland, Mesquite, Addison, Kessler Park, Farmers Branch, Grapevine, Southlake, Flower Mound and Lewisville.
