A water heater is essential for a range of tasks from laundry to showering to washing your hands. When you need a new water heater, you want a system that will last for years to come and won’t quit during the most important daily activities. A dependable type of water heater that is growing in popularity available today is the tankless water heater, one that does not store water in a tank for later use, like typical units. But are tankless water heaters right for every home? We’ll take a look at both tank and tankless units so that you can decide for yourself which is the best option for your particular needs.
Storage Tank Water Heaters
Storage tank water heaters are the most common type used in homes today. These have large tanks which keep water heated at all times so that you have access to it at any point in the day. A long tube leads to the bottom of the unit, where there is either a gas burner underneath or an electric heating element inside of the tank. Thanks to the heat rising principle, hot water rises over any cold water in the tank and is sucked up through a small pipe at the top. While these units are generally less costly than tankless units, they may do a poor job of heating large volumes of water, which is why many people decide to go tankless.
Tankless Water Heaters
Instead of storing water throughout the day, tankless water heaters contain a computer that directs the unit to turn on whenever a hot water tap is activated in the home. A tankless water heater runs on electricity or gas to activate a high powered heat exchanger, which heats water as soon as it passes by.
Some Benefits
Because they don’t use energy throughout the day, tankless units will save some energy over storage tank water heaters—particularly if your previous storage tank unit was electric, as electricity costs more to consume. Tankless models also tend to have longer lifespans, as they are less likely to be victims of rust and corrosion too early on since they do not continuously store water. In some homes, you may need multiple units to ensure top performance. For more benefit of tankless water heaters visit out blog post “3 Benefits of Tankless Water Heaters.”
For more information about tankless water heaters, call the experts at BZ Dependable Plumbing & Heating today!
