Thinking of adding on to your home?

Add a tankless water heater

Tankless water heaters have been improving over the years and they are a great choice when you want hot water and an energy efficient appliance. There are even more options offered today that were not available a few years ago so if you would like to consider a tankless water heater in your own home, these guidelines can help you during your decision-making process. Let’s take a look at some of the top tankless water heater benefits.

Knowing The Good Stuff!

As with any home purchase, you should be aware of the pros and cons, the cost, and what you can actually expect. The pros far outweigh the cons for tankless water heaters. I’m speaking from experience because we have a tankless water heater in our home and it’s amazing. We have a smaller unit because there’s only two of us but an on-demand tankless water heater is a thing of beauty.

I would have added a tankless water heater anyway but I was basically forced to get a tankless water heater because our old standard heater was leaking terribly and it sat right in front of the furnace. In order to get a new furnace installed, which we plan to do next year, we would have to move the water heater to install the new furnace and then reinstall the water after installing the new furnace. That seemed silly to me and a lot of unnecessary expenses. If I eliminated the standard water heater and installed a tankless water heater now I can easily reach the furnace to replace it when the time comes without having the extra steps added. Problem solved – A new Rinnai tankless water heater was purchased for $1,500. A new standard model water heater would have cost me $600 so there is a substantial price difference but its worth it down the road.

Having a tankless heater can provide an endless supply of hot water on demand with no standby energy loss that you have with a standard model water heater.  There’s no tank where water is sitting that is constantly being heated.

Plus you don’t have to look at the giant white ugly thing in your basement. A tankless water heater is about the size of a small carry on suitcase and it mounts on the wall. If you have a large family they get only a little larger but not much. The larger capacity units are more expensive but the size doesn’t really change. The internal mechanics are just bigger and can handle a larger hot water demand.

A tankless heater is smaller and uses fewer materials for manufacturing and as such, transportation costs are lower. You can buy these units from Amazon or Build.com. A tankless water heater should last at least 20 years, if not more, and they are less likely to have any corrosion since water is not stored in the tank. You will definitely start to see a drop in your water bill and your gas bill with a tankless water heater. Plus, I have to say it looks pretty cool mounted on the wall. It’s a thing of beauty.

Because there is no tank on a tankless water heater, it is more compact and fits in a smaller space.

  • Standby loss is virtually eliminated since it heats the water as it is needed.
  • They waste less water because you are not running water waiting for it to heat up.
  • As long as you buy a tankless heater that is the property capacity for its use, you will have unlimited hot water.
  • The life expectancy of tankless water heaters is around 20 years whereas a standard model may only last 10-15 years.
  • Parts are easy to replace which may extend the life expectancy even more.

The Not So Good Stuff

As a negative (although it’s not much of a negative) you must do your homework before you buy a tankless water heater.   If you do not get a system that is adequate for your home, you will still not have all the hot water that you want. You need to do your research and find the right size system. I went with one that was more then we needed just because I wanted to be on the safe side just in case we had guests come over and the washing machine was running as well as the dishwasher, etc.

You will need to have a professional install it. Tankless water heaters are more expensive and cost more to install so you want to make sure you get it right the first time around. If you are considering enjoying some of the tankless water heater benefits a little research is all you need to do and you can easily figure it out.

Price! Price is always an issue but when it comes to quality I’ll always pay more to get the best. I would go with Rinnai as the leader in Tankless Water heaters. Here’s a link to a Rinnai RU199iN unit that I purchased and we love it.

So if you’re thinking about a remodel and want to add a new water heater to your home this is the way to go.  There are other brand names out there like Rheem that are excellent but Rinnai is the very best on the market.