What Is a Tankless Water Heater?

When most people think of a water heater, they picture a heavy tank that hides behind the mysterious closet doors in the basement and keeps the furnace company. These conventional water heaters have been at the forefront of the market for many years due to their affordability and their steadily increasing efficiency.

However, during this time another option has been gaining in popularity and it is fast becoming a preferred method of heating water in many residential properties. This system is referred to as the tankless water heater, and its name is very descriptive as to its purpose and function; it heats water for use in every area of your home without storing the water in a tank prior to sending it to your taps. Today many “plumbers near me” are recommending tankless systems as an alternative to the traditional solution.

These small systems, measuring about two feet tall and one foot wide, begin heating your water to the desired temperature the moment that you turn on a faucet. Because they continually heat the water, there is no limit to how long the hot water is used. This means that, unlike traditional water heaters, you can take as many showers as you want in a row without running out of hot water. However, tankless systems have limitations as to how much hot water they can produce at one time, which may limit how many appliances you can use simultaneously.

Tankless heaters have been around since the turn of the twentieth century, but only in recent years has this technology overtaken traditional systems in efficiency and convenience. Today, the installation of tankless heaters is the only thing that remains more expensive than a tank system. When you are considering a water heater replacement, you may have to weigh the benefits of a tankless system against the cost of installation. Many homeowners find that the energy savings quickly pay for this initial cost as long as they invest in regular water heater repair and maintenance for their new systems.

Tankless water heaters are not historically a new idea, but they may be unfamiliar to you. If you are curious about whether this type of water heater will benefit your household, you can talk to your local plumber. They can help you understand the cost of installing one in your home and the benefits or challenges that you might have with this system, and they can help you make this important decision.