How can a tankless water heater benefit you?

Have you ever taken a shower and run out of hot water while the hair shampoo got in your eyes? I’m sure it has happened to everyone at least once. You may have a teenager in the house who doesn’t know what a short shower is.

There could be many factors why you are running out of hot water. You could have a small water tank or the unit could be starting to fail. Also, as mentioned above, you could have a warm water pig in your house.

But, no matter what the reason, there is a wonderful solution. It is a tankless heater. I know the word sounds like an oxymoron, like giant shrimp, but that’s what it’s called. And they are far superior to traditional electric or gas tank water heaters.

What is the difference?

Traditional water tank, whether electric or gas, hot water is stored in a tank, 40 gallon, 50 gallon or some other size. This is great for keeping a supply of hot water available for immediate use. But, the problem is that all that heated water sits unused for most of the day. After a while, the water cools down and needs to be heated up again. Not only is it a waste of energy, but it’s a waste of your money!

With the tankless water heater there’s no big tank to speak of, so you’re not constantly reheating your water. What it does is heat the water “as needed”. You open the faucet and it heats the water while the faucet is running. When you turn off the water, it stops heating. What this means is that your child can take a half hour shower and then you can jump in the shower and still have plenty of hot water. You never have to worry about running out, because it heats the water immediately. Can you imagine the cost savings by heating the water only when you need it?

Another problem with older water heaters is their potential for leaks. Just think, all that water just sitting there. Water, over time, can damage the interior of the tank. This can lead to a leak or rupture of the tank, then “water water” everywhere. With a tankless heater, there are no tank leaks. So another benefit is avoiding a major leak.

Finally, a big benefit of the tankless is its small size. A typical water heater needs a lot of space to install, three feet around and several feet high. The tankless tank is only slightly thicker than the size of a standard laptop. All you need is some wall space to install it.

In short, a tankless heater will always keep you in a hot shower. You will never need to “schedule” the use of hot water in the house again. They also save energy, but more importantly, money! And finally, they take up little space.

With all these benefits, a tankless heater is clearly better than the traditional style. If you need a new water heater due to age or deterioration, consider “new heat” in the tank design and skip the tank.