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Tankless Water Heater Benefits
Make your Next Hot Water Heater an
Electric Tankless Water Heater
By: Mark J. Donovan
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Installing an electric tankless water heater has many advantages.
Chief among the benefits is the fact that an electric tankless water heater
can reduce your home energy costs significantly. Some tankless water heaters
claim they can cut your hot water heating energy costs by as much as 50%. They
can achieve this type of costs savings because instead of heating water
continuously all day long, they only heat the water when it is requested via
someone turning on a hot water faucet.
An electric tankless hot water heater also requires a lot let space than the
traditional hot water tank.
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The traditional hot water tank often consumes an entire closet on its own.
A tankless water heater, on the other hand, only requires the space of a
standard size suitcase. This can be an extremely important advantage in smaller
homes. And even though they are small, unlike a traditional hot water tank,
tankless water heaters never run out of hot water.
A tankless hot water heater differs in construction to a traditional hot water
tank in the simple fact it does not require a holding tank for the hot water.
Instead a tankless water heater has a large heated coil in it that as cold water
is drawn through it, the water is heated. In this way the water is heated only
as needed. By the time the heated water gets to the faucet or showerhead that
called for the hot water, the water is at the desired heated temperature.
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Tankless hot water heaters are very energy efficient due to their design. They
are also very compact and to some extent complex. As a result, they can be
fairly expensive compared to a traditional hot water tank. But this said,
their energy costs savings quickly recover the additional costs of the unit.
Tankless hot water heaters are also less susceptible to mineral deposit
build ups that are frequently the causes of traditional hot water tank
failures. |
With tankless water heaters the minerals do not have the time or ability
to collect on the heating tube since the water is only heated when needed and
it is immediately delivered to the faucet or showerhead that requested it. Because of this, tankless water heaters can last much longer than traditional
hot water heater tanks. Tankless water heaters can last up to 20 years,
whereas a traditional hot water tank will last only about 10 years.
When buying a tankless water heater it is important to buy one with a hot
water flow rate that can support the hot water requirements of the home. Flow
rates are listed in gallons per minute. The flow rate also tells you how much
they can increase the temperature of the water from the input to output of the
unit. For example, a tankless hot water heater may state that it can raise the
water temperature 80o (F) from input to output, and deliver 4 gallons per
minute of heated water. Depending upon where you live, and what the input
temperature of the cold water is entering your home, will determine the heated
water output temperature. So make sure to talk with a salesperson on what is
the right tankless water heater for your home and region of the country.
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Related Information
Additional Home Plumbing Resources
Electric Tankless Water Heaters from Amazon.com
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