You have heard the hype about tankless water heaters for some time now and as your water heater prepares to heat its last drops it’s time to consider this again: “Is a tankless water heater in my future”?
Let’s take a moment here and look through some pros and cons that I have found concerning tankless water heaters over the past several years…
Pro - And this is the number one feature of the tankless water heater no matter who tries to sell you what: They produce hot water for hours on end, uninterrupted, period.
You turn on the faucet and call for hot water. When the hot water arrives (it isn’t instant hot water - don’t be confused) it will continue being hot for as long as you call for it.
It doesn’t matter if you are the first in the shower and take a 30-minute shower, or you are fourth in line after three people have taken 30-minute showers, you will have just as hot water as the first person. Period.
For me, that is THE reason to get a tankless water heater.
Con - Not every house is designed to accommodate a tankless water heater. Make sure you have a trained plumbing professional inspect your house to make sure it will work with your set up.
Note - the percentage of homes that can’t handle a tankless unit is small, but they do exist.
Pro - Tankless water heaters come with a 20-year warranty. That is generally the life of 2 tank-style water heaters. Do the math - it comes out very close.
Also - service on a tankless unit is often as easy as replacing a small component.
Con - This is a big one - tankless water heaters need to be installed by professionals who are trained in installing tankless water heaters. You might can buy a tankless water heater at a big box store, but I promise you, you can’t install it yourself unless you are trained.
It isn’t a buddy project or a neighborhood handyman project installing one. They must be vented different, have different sized gas lines run to them, and programmed correctly.
You simply cannot remove your old water heater and install a tankless unit in its place.
It won’t work correctly and is dangerous.
Side-note here – Tankless water heaters also come in models that attach to the outside of your house. Very popular models. Models that are top of the line. If the plumber you are using to install your tankless doesn’t know this, you are using an unqualified plumber.
Pro - You will save money. Ok I said it.
This is the lure that all tankless advertising seems to use to ease you into making a purchase.
“Your tankless unit only uses gas when you call for hot water, while your tank unit uses it even when you aren’t home to keep the water hot…”
That is true. However, I have had a tankless unit for a good 15 years now and I would have trouble seeing an $8 difference on my monthly gas bill. Seriously. Maybe $9 on occasion, but not very often.
Part of the reason I am sure is that I take longer showers now (so my water bill is probably up in that stretch too).
It’s not a deal breaker; I just don’t think it’s the gas-saving panacea that advertising makes it out to be.
If you save $100 a year your payback time will be a little over 30 years. And it will be worth every penny of every month!
Con - If the power is out, you are out of hot water.
It takes electricity to start your gas tankless water heater, so no juice, no hot water.
Pro - When your tank water heater goes bad, there is a very good chance it will simply spew forth 40 gallons of water, or 50, or 60, or 80… Plus, it will keep spewing forth water until you get to the cut off and shut it down.
Might be in the middle of the night, might be while you are standing right there watching it.
Also, might be while you are on vacation at the beach 600 miles from home.
You can easily get no warning, no symptoms, no ‘look out it’s spew time!’ Just happens.
You don’t have that worry with a tankless water heater.
Verdict. This one is pretty easy. If your home is capable, and you use a licensed, certified plumber for the install - go with a tankless water heater. You will enjoy the longer showers and the constant supply of hot water.
This product works.
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