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. 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.
Tankless hot water heaters are very energy efficient due to their design. They are also very compact and to some extent complex. |
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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. |
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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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