Customer Question: “What’s the Difference Between a Traditional Wa-ter Heater and Newer Tankless Water Heaters?”
This is question that we hear many times from our customers. News and info about tankless water heaters has spread rapidly during the last few years, and many homeowners want to know more about these systems. What makes them different from traditional gas-fired tank water heaters? And are those differences worth making the switch over to a tankless system?
Here’s what makes tankless water heaters different
- No storage tank: Of course, this is obvious from the name “tankless.” But what does that really mean in practice? Instead of storing water inside a tank and keeping it at a steady heat, a tankless water heater instead runs the water in the hot water pipes through a heat exchanger, where combustion gases from burners transfer their heat directly to the water as it passes through the pipes.
- Water heated “on-demand”: Storage tank water heaters must maintain the temperature of the water they store at all times so that it’s ready for use. A tankless system only heats up the water as it is needed: the motion of water through the heat exchanger—meaning a tap or appliance in the house is requesting hot water—triggers the system to start heating the water. This means a significant drop in annual energy use.
- No running out of hot water: This is one of the biggest reasons that people are interested in going tankless. Since tankless systems don’t store a water supply but instead heat up water when it’s needed, they won’t run out of hot water.
To find out more about tankless water heaters, call Payless Plumbing, Heating & Drain Cleaning in Arvada, CO.
