Tankless Water Heaters Guide

As is the case with any large appliance in your home, when it comes to finding the right hot water heater for your needs, there are a lot of things to consider. Most homes are equipped with a standard hot water tank, and unless you’ve already made a change to your hot water heater, this is likely the type of model you own and are most familiar with. For the most part, a hot water tank is a reliable and relatively easy to maintain a piece of equipment that provides hot water in a somewhat short amount of time. Before you replace your old hot water tank with a new one, however, you might want to consider making the switch to a tankless, or on-demand water heater.

Tank vs Tankless

When it comes to overall function, maintenance and hot water delivery, a tankless water heater brings a lot more to the table than its water tank counterpart. Where a hot water tank requires time and energy to build up and store heated water, a tankless heater can instantly heat your water, and supply as much as you need, as long as you need, with no standby requirements. This is because a tankless water heater can focus the thermal energy needed to heat your water in real time, as you require. This not only saves you on energy costs compared to a hot water tank, it also can save you time and money spent on maintenance and upkeep of your hot water tank. With a tankless heater, you will never need to worry about doing things like draining a tank to reduce bacteria and sediment buildups. You can also expect your new tankless water heater to have a lifespan that lasts 20% longer than your old hot water tank. A tankless heater also takes up far less space than a hot water tank, and you can expect to see your energy costs drop by as much as 25% over time, as the tankless heater consumes zero power when it isn’t being used. All things considered, a tankless water heater is capable of being a major improvement on your old hot water tank.

How Tankless Heaters Work

When you turn on a hot water faucet in your home, two things happen in your tankless water heater. First, a sensor located inside the water heater is tripped as water begins to move through the pipes connected to the heater. Second, depending on the type of tankless heater you own, an electrical or gas powered heating element will switch on to warm the water that passes through the heater. Once the faucet is closed and water ceases its movement through the pipes, the heating element will disengage, and your tankless heater will draw no energy until it is once again required.

Electrical vs Gas

In most places around the world, it is really up to the consumer to decide between a gas or electrical tankless water heater. In Canada, however, our cooler climate makes the decision for most homeowners. If you are considering making the switch to a tankless water heater here in Canada, your best bet is to go with a gas powered heater. While there is nothing wrong with how an electrical water heater works in most places, Canadians won’t have much luck using them in their homes. This is because an electrical tankless heater will be overworked as it tries to heat water brought into your home from outside pipes that are exposed to freezing temperatures. The energy demands this will put on the water heater will lead to high energy bills, making an electrical heater a bad investment during Canadian winters.

For Canadian consumers, gas-powered on-demand water heaters are the best way to go. There are some examples of gas-powered water heaters that require no electricity on the market, but thanks to the efficiency of the gas heater’s design, this type of heater will almost never cause you to pay more on your energy bills as long as your hot water consumption remains consistent.

Despite their higher initial cost compared to hot water tanks, tankless, on-demand water heaters present homeowners with a much more efficient, green friendly and overall cost effective option when it comes to providing hot water in their homes. If you would like to learn more about the tankless water heaters available from High Demand Heating, as well as our reliable installation and maintenance services, be sure to contact us with your questions today!

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