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Tankless Water Heater Update: Pros and Cons

Water Heater

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Tankless water heaters are often considered as a potential option for homeowners. First, I want to talk about some of the disadvantages:

Con #1: Upfront Cost

A tankless water heater will simply cost more than a tank water heater. That upfront cost can be a significant challenge to overcome.

Con #2: Installation in All-Electric Homes

If you don’t have LP gas or natural gas in your home, it’s really not a good option to go tankless with electric. There are some electrical tankless water heaters that we put in, but a home’s environment will very rarely allow it to happen, usually due to the size of the home or limitations in the electrical supply’s power output.

Con #3: High Complexity

A tankless water heater is definitely much more of a complex system than a tank water heater. Therefore, it takes a trained, competent individual to work on it. If it breaks down, you can’t just go to the nearest Lowe’s and swap out a replacement part.

That being said, I have a tankless water heater in my home and I love it. There’s a tremendous amount of benefits in making the decision to go tankless:

Pro #1: Space Savings

Tankless water heaters can potentially free up a large amount of space. For instance, because I have a tankless water heater on the wall in the mechanical area of my home, I can do other things with the floorspace in this area.

Pro #2: Endless Supply

Probably the biggest benefit from my perspective is the fact that no matter how much hot water we use, and no matter how many times we want to use the shower, we’ll never run out of hot water. It’s an endless supply as long as you have power and fuel going to the heater. When guests are staying or the kids have friends over, we really love how handy this is.

Pro #3: Life Expectancy

The life expectancy of a tankless water heater is going to be much longer than a tank water heater. After all, there’s no storage tank that could rupture due to expansion and contraction.

Pro #4: Total Cost of Ownership

Even though a tankless water heater has a higher upfront cost than a tank water heater, it has a much lower total cost of ownership. Let’s compare a 50 gallon electric water heater, which will cost about $600 per year to operate (in terms of electricity). The tankless water heater will cost about $190 per year, which comes out to $410 yearly savings. In terms of energy efficiency, that’s a really big deal. The savings aren’t as great going from a gas tank to a gas tankless system, though—you might see a yearly savings of about $150 to $200. The bottom line is, electric is the most inefficient way to heat water. LP or natural gas is much more efficient than electric, whether it be tank or tankless.

With high BTU appliances, we have to make sure the gas line is sized properly and externally vented. But aside from those two requirements, we can pretty much put them anywhere if a home is equipped with LP or natural gas. The Navien brand tankless water heaters we install do a really good job of making it easy to retrofit in homes, so it’s possible to install in a lot more situations than it was ten years ago. If you want to learn more about choosing a water heater for your home, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air by contacting us online or giving us a call at 540-483-9382.

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People don’t tend to look at their water heaters very often. Sometimes a water heater might be stuck in a storage room with boxes all around them, in a closet that never gets opened, or maybe in a rarely-visited attic. I would advise people to look over their water heater to make sure there aren’t any signs of rust or rupture. Be on the lookout for any brown marks or water marks running down the side. Rust is definitely not normal, and action should be taken as soon as it’s noticed.

Be aware that the leak may not even originate from the water heater itself. There could be a leak somewhere up high, or even on the water heater’s pipes. Water flows down the path of least resistance. The water you’re seeing could be falling on the top of the water heater and running down the side. Most new water heaters have foam insulation on them. However, if the water heater has any age on it at all, there’s a good chance that it uses fiberglass insulation. Once fiberglass insulation gets wet, it can no longer do its job very well. It can actually lead to mold growth and other issues.

Electric water heaters have two doors on the front of them. (These are access panels which are secured with screws.) Sometimes you’ll see rust marks coming from these doors, which generally means the element that screws into the water heater is leaking around the heating element itself. It’s definitely not normal to see these signs, and you should get a professional to check it out before it causes further problems.

Keep in mind that a leak may come and go as the water heater expands or contracts. Imagine placing a piece of metal or plastic out in full sun exposure. It will expand as it heats up and shrink as it cools back down. The same thing happens with your water heater. It’s important to understand that water heaters are constantly expanding and contracting as they heat and cool. You might not be able to see an active leak, but you should be able to spot the telltale signs of a leak. If the water heater has aged and it begins to leak, it can rupture and cause a huge mess. That’s why you definitely don’t want to procrastinate with these kinds of issues.

Aside from rust, there aren’t really any visual warning signs that a water heater is at risk of rupturing. However, other important external variables like excessive water pressure or poor water quality could lead to a rupture, too. (The water heater, pipes, and plumbing fixtures are only rated for so much pressure.) It’s the homeowner’s responsibility to lower the water pressure if it’s being provided at excessively high pressure from the municipality. Our technicians can check for these issues when they’re in the home.

Getting a trained, competent eye on your water heater is the best strategy to prevent unexpected issues. If you’d like to get scheduled maintenance performed on your water heater, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air today. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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There are definitely more benefits to a tankless water heater than any potential disadvantages, so I’ll get the two cons out of the way. First and foremost, if your residence doesn’t have either natural gas or LP gas, and electricity is all that’s available, you can take tankless water heaters off of the table (unless you’ve already decided to add gas to your home). This can definitely be a frustration point when choosing a new water heater. Tankless water heaters that use natural gas or LP gas are the only effective option. Unless it’s a secondary getaway cabin that doesn’t get much use, we do not recommend electric tankless water heaters.

The other con is the sheer upfront cost of a tankless water heater. Of course, you’ll get a lot of benefits by investing in a tankless water heater, but it’s going to be one of the most expensive options. You’d have to factor in what you’re actually getting for what you’re spending upfront in order to justify the cost. With those two potential cons out of the way, let’s get into all the benefits you’ll experience by deciding to get a tankless system.

The small size of the system is one of the first benefits that comes to mind. A tankless water heater hangs on the wall, which frees up the space where a larger tank system would be. This is especially useful in an apartment or smaller residence where space is at a premium. (Some tank water heaters can be unusually large in size, too.) In the right situation, like in a closet, it can really make a big difference.

Next, the lifespan of a tankless water heater is nearly twice that of a tank water heater. Yes, it’s much more of an upfront cost, but it starts to pose a very attractive cost of ownership over its lifespan. Going from a 50 gallon electric water heater to a gas tankless water heater can actually save 70% on your electric bill. If running your tankless water heater would cost about $180 a year, an electric tank water heater would have definitely exceeded $600 a year (or more, based on age). It’s a big overall cost savings when you combine the total cost of ownership and overall efficiency.

One of the coolest benefits of a tankless water heater pertains to something we’ve all experienced at least once. Think back to the last time the hot water ran out and you had to take a cold shower. A tankless water heater provides endless hot water as long as you provide some kind of fuel and power. You can fill up a large soaking tub in one go, take a long shower, or let several family members take consecutive showers without running out of hot water. Those things might not have been practical with a tank water heater. It’s really great when you don’t have to wonder if you’re going to have to take another cold shower.

If you have any questions about tankless water heaters, or you’re trying to decide which is best for your home, contact us today or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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Most people don’t think about their water heater and how it needs maintenance, but it’s just like any other piece of equipment. Our car, house, and even our own bodies need maintenance. If we don’t exercise and eat healthy, we’re probably not going to last as long. If we don’t change the oil in our car, it won’t last as long, either. Maintenance is just a good idea, but it can also be a way to save money.

Most people don’t realize that buildup occurs in the water heater, especially if there’s hardness in the water. Calcium is dissolved in hard water, but as it is heated, the calcium solidifies and accumulates either on the element of an electric heater or on the bottom of a gas water heater. The layer of calcium buildup acts as an insulation barrier, which means the water heater has to work harder to do the same job. Therefore, it will cause over-payment on your electric or gas bill. To help reduce buildup, we will flush the water heater.

The tank that holds the water is kind of like a settling tank. If there’s debris, sediment, or calcium, it’s going to settle to the bottom of the heater. The tank will corrode very quickly if it’s got a bunch of sediment and gunk at the bottom. That’s going to cause premature failure, and we solve that by flushing the tank as well.

We also check the anode rod when we maintain a water heater. (The owner’s manual says this should be done as part of proper maintenance.) The anode rod is there to protect the metal that makes up the tank itself. Once the anode rod is completely depleted, there is no protection left. If we replace the anode rod when it depletes, we can add a couple of years to the life of the water heater (which saves you money).

If it’s been a while since you had your water heater checked and maintained, just reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

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Why do you sometimes have to wait a few seconds or longer until hot water comes out of your faucet? That’s a question we get from a lot of homeowners. People tend to think that it’s a problem with the water heater. Most of the time, however, the water heater is actually working fine. You really have to wait for hot water because of the distance from the water heater to the fixture you’re trying to operate.

In some cases you get hot water very quickly because the fixture is located close to the water heater. If the fixture is far away, the pipe running to the water heater has to be longer. The water sitting in the pipe will also cool down if the fixture hasn’t been used recently. You’ll have to wait for all that water to clear out of the pipe before hot water starts traveling to that particular fixture.

It’s even worse if you have a bathroom that’s over a crawlspace or concrete slab. The water pipes running under that area are surrounded by a cold environment. If it’s a crawlspace that isn’t insulated very well, the water will cool down much more quickly. During the wintertime that means the pipes will cool down just fifteen minutes after using hot water. You’ll have to run the water again for up to several minutes until you get hot water.

One thing that most people don’t realize is that they’re actually wasting water during this time. All that water running down the drain isn’t being used, of course. Everyone has to pay for the water one way or another. Even if you have a well, there’s an associated cost with using water. It could be through pump repairs, water treatment systems, or maintenance costs. If you have city/municipal water, there’s a direct cost in the form of a monthly water bill. You even have to pay the energy costs from your water heater. (Remember, you’re sending cold water into the system so it can be heated.)

Think of how much money you’ll save if you don’t have to wait as long for hot water. One of the solutions we recommend is to install a hot water recirculation system. We have a model that can be retrofitted into an existing home. We can install it in a home with an unfinished basement by physically running a pipe over to the fixture to recirculate the water.

The recirculation system has a pump on the water heater. It’s running on a timer or thermostat so that when the water cools down, it gets circulated back in the system. The benefit of doing that is you’re actually adding a lot of warmer water back into the water heater. Because hot water is very close whenever you decide to use the fixture, you’re not going to have to run water down the drain. These systems are very energy efficient and they ultimately save you money in the long run.

If you want to save money, conserve resources, and spend less time waiting for hot water, contact us online or give us a call at (540) 483-9382. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about installing a water recirculation system in your home.

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There are three factors to consider when deciding whether to replace or repair a plumbing fixture. First of all, the fixture’s age needs to be taken into consideration. If we were to come into a house and notice that the water heater has an average age of 8 to 10 years, we would evaluate that (along with other information) in order to make a recommendation to possibly replace the item, since it’s probably past the prime of its life. Age is definitely a large component in making sure that you’re not putting money into something that will continue to nickel and dime you in the future.

Another thing to consider is the cost of the repair. There are obviously temporary bandages that can be applied to problems, but repairing fixtures correctly can sometimes be very expensive compared to the cost of just putting in a new item. The benefits associated with purchasing a new item should be weighed against the cost of repairing the existing item. Sometimes, it might cost way less to repair a fixture instead of just replacing it completely. But then, if you’re going to have to do that same repair multiple times in the future, the cost will add up. In hindsight, you might end up looking back and realizing it cost more to keep repairing the same old fixture instead of just replacing it to begin with. Being open-minded to that can definitely be advantageous.

The great thing about Wisler Plumbing and Air’s customer service is that we will give you options. There will likely be a repair option and a replacement option available, and we will make the advantages of both clear to you. You’ll be able to see those options side by side and make an informed decision. Our recommendation to repair or replace the fixture will depend on the fixture’s age and cost. The beauty of it is, you can take our professional recommendation or weigh the consequences yourself. The power is left in the hands of the customer to decide.

When considering available options, we would never want a customer to wish they would have known about an option after the job is done. We make sure that customers know about the products we offer, and also other products that are out on the market. Many customers do their research ahead of time and show up knowing that they want an item replaced with a certain brand or type. We want to make sure that we can help the client navigate through the decision, so when they do make the investment to replace an item, they are sure the product meets their specific needs and criteria. It’s important that customers know the products that we offer, but also the other products on the market that we choose not to offer.

When we determine what products we’re going to use, we do a lot of research and consider many different criteria about the product. When you do buy a replacement item, you want to be sure that you’re replacing it with a product that just doesn’t look good, but is also high quality.

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