Switching to tankless water heating in your Camp Verde, AZ home could mean having enough hot water for everyone. If your current storage-based water heater is on its last leg, this is an upgrade that’s well worth considering. Rather than heating, storing, and reheating water, tankless water heaters produce hot water on demand. This makes them both better able to meet the needs of large households and more efficient than their alternatives. However, as with all things, they are not without their drawbacks. Read on to discover the pros and cons of tankless water heaters.
Pro: You Could End up With Lower Energy Bills
Depending upon the size of your household and the amount of hot water that you use, this switch could leave you with markedly lower energy bills. According to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), for families that use approximately 86 gallons of hot water each day, these appliances are between 8% and 14% more efficient than standard, storage-based models. If your household uses approximately 40 gallons of water each day, a tankless water heater could be up to 41% more efficient. As per the DOE, water heater use accounts for about 18% of the average energy home bill. Thus, your savings could prove substantial over time.
Not only do storage-based models heat water in advance of use and then reheat it repeatedly until hot water taps are turned on, but they also constantly lose thermal energy. The water that they hold starts losing heat as soon as their burners go off. Although consumers can minimize these losses by insulating their tanks, there’s no way to prevent them entirely. In all cases, having a storage-based water heater means having a constant source of energy waste. If you’re looking to lower your carbon footprint and beat back your overhead costs, switching to tankless water heating will help you accomplish both of these goals without sacrificing either comfort or convenience.
Pro: There’s No Tank to Rupture or Leak
For some consumers, having a water heater tank rupture is the catalyst for exploring other options. Although aging and damaged water heaters often exhibit signs of distress before dumping their contents on the floor, many of these symptoms are easy to miss when life is happening all around you. Storage-based water heaters leak and rupture when build-ups of abrasive sediment at their tank bottoms wear through their glass linings and create the conditions for severe or widespread corrosion. Unfortunately, the fact that these units hold water all of the time makes them particularly prone to rust. This is all the more true in homes with excessively hard water and visible mineral build-ups on other fixtures or appliances.
Having one or more tankless water heaters installed will eliminate this risk entirely. Best of all, you can expect these appliances to last quite a bit longer than storage-based models. For perspective, most storage-based water heaters last between 10 and 15 years and many tankless models have expected lifespans of 20 to 25 years.
Pro: Tankless Water Heaters Are Space-Saving
Over time, consumers have acclimated to having large, cumbersome, and often unattractive water heater tanks in their homes. Now, they don’t have to. Although standard, storage-based water heaters are typically stashed away in inconspicuous locations, they still take up a lot of usable area. Comparatively, tankless water heaters have slim profiles and they’re wall-mounted. Many point-of-use models are installed discretely under sinks. Having one or more of these units in your home could leave you with more storage area for housing your camping gear, hobby supplies, or sporting equipment among other things.
Pro: There Multiple Tankless Water Heater Types
Going tankless doesn’t mean that you have to switch from your preferred fuel source. Not every tankless water heater uses electricity to get the job done. If you’re ready to cap off your gas line and eliminate all gas-fired appliances throughout your living space, you’ll find an exciting range of electric tankless water heaters. However, there are also gas-fired tankless water heaters and options that run on propane.
Con: Tankless Water Heaters Have Limits
All water heaters have limits. Storage-based water heaters are limited by their tank capacities. When their heated water stores are gone, residents must wait 30 minutes to one hour for more. If you have a storage-based water heater and you want a hot shower before dashing out the door, you better hope that everyone else in your household didn’t just shower before. One of the major appeals of tankless water heaters is their ability to produce hot water on demand. However, this doesn’t mean that they offer an unlimited hot water supply. If you run your washing machine, dishwasher, and a hot bath, you could run out.
This is especially likely when there’s only one tankless water heater supporting the hot water demands of an entire household. To prevent this from happening in high-use locations, you can always have more than one unit installed, with each servicing its own small or medium-sized area.
Con: All Tankless Water Heaters Require Electricity
If you’re stuck at home during an electrical outage, don’t expect to turn your taps on and get hot water. All tankless water heaters require electricity, even the models that burn natural gas or propane for heat. This might not be a big deal if you already have a modern, storage-based water heater installed. Modern gas-fired, propane-fired, and electric water heaters have electric ignition switches or hot surface ignitions that require electricity for start-up.
However, if you haven’t replaced your water heater in a while and still have a storage-based model with a gas pilot light, you may be used to having uninterrupted water heating even when your power goes down. Unfortunately, whether you opt to go tankless or storage-based with your next water heater, this is a convenience that you’ll eventually have to live without.
Con: You Could Deal With Fluctuating Water Temperatures
When tankless water heaters reach their limits, most don’t suddenly peter out and leave taps emitting an icy spray. Instead, they can struggle and sputter in their performance for several minutes, and emit water with dramatically fluctuating temperatures. Although their performance normally evens out within just 20 minutes, there’s nothing quite like taking a shower that toggles between comfortable and intolerable every few seconds.
Con: Tankless Water Heaters Cost a Bit More
On average, homeowners pay between $800 and $1,700 to replace their standard, storage-based water heaters. If you want a tankless water heater instead, you’ll find acceptable options at multiple price points, but you’ll invariably pay more for this upgrade. For homes that require more than one tankless water heater, the upfront costs of these projects could double the cost of replacing a single tank-based water heater. However, with both increased efficiency and longer lifespans, tankless water heaters often pay for themselves savings over time.
Revolutionize Your Home with Innovative Tankless Water Heaters
Since 1987, we’ve been helping residents of Camp Verde, AZ find the perfect water heaters for their homes. We offer top-notch heating, cooling, plumbing, and indoor air quality services. To find out about our current selection of storage-based and tankless water heaters or to schedule an appointment, contact Goettl's High Desert Mechanical now!
