Consumers Want To Know: Q & A On Whole House Tankless Water Heaters
"How Does a Whole House Tankless Water Heater Differ from Other Types?"
You are probably aware of the traditional tank-type water heater which is found in most homes in the US -- in these types of systems a water tank is used to store water which has been previously heated. Whole house tankless water heater systems do not rely on a storage tank, they simply heat the water on an ongoing basis as is needed. Whole House tankless water heaters are designed to provide enough hot water for an entire home.
"Is There Any Advantage in Having a Whole House Tankless Water Heater?"
There are two primary advantages in having a whole house tankless water heater system. One obvious advantage is in the energy savings -- with the traditional tank-based system an entire tank full of water must be heated -- and must be continuously re-heated -- to the desired temperature. With a tank-type system, the water in the tank is kept hot even when there is no demand for it -- and that wastes energy, and money. On the other hand, with a whole house tankless water heater the water will not be raised to a higher temperature until you turn on the faucet. This means that if you are not home all day, with a tank system the water will be kept hot all day, but with a tankless system the whole house tankless water heater will essentially be on "idle" during that same period. Another advantage to having a whole house tankless water heater system is that you will never "run out" of hot water. A tank-based water heater system can only provide you with as much hot water as is stored in the tank -- when that is used up, the tank will refill with cold water and you will have to wait until the water has been heated. With a whole house tankless water heater, however, since the water is being heated only when there is a demand, the system will continue to provide you with hot water for as long as you keep the faucet open. "We Have an under the Counter Tankless Water Heater in Our Kitchen -- Should We Get a Whole House Tankless Water Heater?" Tankless under the counter water heaters are common in many kitchens -- these provide hot water right at the place where is needed. These units are also capable of being installed in other locations such as the laundry room or bathrooms. These point-of-use tankless water heaters have a limitation however: they can only put out about 1-1.5 gallons per minute, and in many homes that may not be enough hot water to satisfy the demand. Another problem with using point-of-use tankless, as compared with whole house, tankless water heaters is that, in order to provide complete hot water coverage for the entire home, you would need to install them in many different places -- literally every kitchen, bathroom, laundry room in your home. This means much added expense to purchase and install all of these units. It can be cheaper to just purchase a whole house tankless water heater instead.
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