| Tankless water heaters have several advantages | | | | minimum flow is reached, typically ½ to |
| over conventional storage type water heaters | | | | ¾ gallons per minute. This can be |
| that store a large volume of water in a tank. | | | | problematic if you need a very small flow of |
| One advantage is that since the tankless unit | | | | heated water, and can lead to wasting water. |
| does not have a tank, there is no continuous heat | | | | Most circulating pumps don't pump enough water |
| (energy) loss from the large volume of stored | | | | to reliably activate tankless water heaters. |
| heated water, as there is with a traditional | | | | Using a traditional circulating pump will void the |
| storage type heater. Typically tankless heaters do | | | | warranty on most tankless heaters, since they will |
| not have standing pilot lights like tank type units, | | | | cause the heater to turn on and off very |
| saving even more energy. There is no question | | | | frequently and far more than in typical household |
| tankless water heaters are more energy efficient. | | | | usage. |
| Another advantage is that you have virtually | | | | One of the biggest problems with the tankless |
| unlimited hot water, you will never run out. This | | | | heaters is the fact that they take much longer to |
| could be a double edged sword though, as there | | | | get water to the fixture than traditional tank type |
| is a tendency for humans to use what is available. | | | | units. You can picture a tankless water heater as |
| Some users might end up taking much longer | | | | a long pipe coiled up over a flame. For the water |
| showers for instance, leading to an increase in | | | | to get fully hot, it must travel all the way through |
| water and energy usage. | | | | the pipe. If the water starts out in the middle of |
| This effect was common back when the | | | | the heater for instance, it will leave the heater |
| government provided large tax credits for | | | | after only being in the pipe for half the time it |
| installing solar water heaters. Homeowners | | | | would need to reach full temperature. This means |
| believing they now had cheap hot water tended | | | | that it will take much longer for your water to |
| to use a lot more water than before the solar | | | | get hot while you run the faucet waiting for it. It's |
| heaters were installed. They used so much more | | | | pretty clear that this will cause an increase in |
| that the monthly water heating bill actually | | | | water being run down the drain, costing the home |
| increased in a many of the homes where the | | | | owner money, wasting one of our most precious |
| units were installed the backup heating elements | | | | resources. |
| were being used so much of the time. | | | | There is however a way to eliminate any of the |
| A minor advantage that tankless units have over | | | | water from being wastefully run down the drain |
| storage units is the size of the footprint. The | | | | while waiting for hot water. Use a demand |
| tankless units take up less space, although I don't | | | | system. A demand system only turns on when |
| think that is very important to most people. | | | | hot water is "demanded". When you are ready |
| Obviously there are some disadvantages to | | | | for your shower you push a button and the pump |
| tankless water heaters. For one thing, they are | | | | sends the heated water from your water heater |
| much more expensive, and far more complex | | | | to your fixture more quickly than if you run the |
| than a standard water heater. If they require | | | | shower at full blast, and the pump shuts off when |
| repair it's likely to be more expensive, and the | | | | the hot water reaches it. Thus you save time, |
| parts are harder to obtain in some cases. Gas | | | | water, energy, and money. |
| units require a large and more expensive flue, and | | | | Many local water districts offer rebates for |
| electric units require very heavy wires because | | | | demand systems, so check with your local water |
| they use so much electricity. | | | | company, some of the rebates cover the entire |
| Tankless heaters are typically turned on by a flow | | | | cost of a demand system, so in effect, you get |
| switch which turns the heater on when a | | | | a free system! |