There is nothing better than the amazing feeling of a long hot shower, and you just wish you had a magic wand to get your shower steaming as quickly as possible and keep it running for as long as possible.
We also know that everyone hates the wait for the water to get heated after your traditional hot water heater runs out of capacity. Then there is the continuous flow of frustrating events after that. The water is not hot enough or worse, it may be scalding. Further, the never ending combination of strategies required to get just the right temperature of water dialed in for your fantasy bath. Add to the above exhausting problems associated with conventional water heaters the high energy use and high maintenance costs. Its a wonder anyone still uses them! The great news is that you don’t have to!
What do we have as a solution?
Tankless water heaters heat water instantly and use only that much amount of water as is needed. These are an innovation to conventional water heaters in terms of functionality and usefulness to users. Conventional water heaters store the total amount of water to be heated and heat the water using the heat of a metal fitted inside them. Tankless water heaters do the same thing, but the heat is passed as the water flows through the unit. This ensures a continuous supply of heated water and the water flow can be adjusted accordingly as per the temperature required.
Having said that, a slightly additional setup cost would be able to give you the following benefits:
- Continuous supply of hot water: Tankless heaters don’t hold any water and the heating action is a continuing one which ensures a regular supply of hot water. A continuous heated water flow is the most promising for these kind of heaters. All we have to do is Just switch on the button and you can get a steady flow of water. Along with that, we can also adjust the temperature of water by adjusting the water flow in the unit. These heaters run the same process and a higher amount of water would mean comparatively lesser temperature of water and vice versa.
- Increased Uses: Owing to the small size and the function of continuous heated water supply, we can set up a Tankless water heaters in areas like kitchen, laundry room. Conventional water heaters of large capacity can be installed for the same purpose, but that will involve a larger space as to storage and other plumbing arrangements to get water to different areas of requirement. That part of cost can be saved by installing more than one tankless water heater at various points, also allowing us to enjoy the additional benefits. So, we can bid a goodbye to the freezing hands in winters when washing those dishes or clothes.
- Energy saving: This is mostly based on the fundamental design of these kind of water heaters. For example, you have to keep the a conventional water heater switched on for at least 20 minutes to get an even supply of hot water, which will be different as per the size of the storage tank. Simultaneously, in a tankless heater, water flows at a continuous rate and you have to switch on the power only for the time you get your required amount of water. Stating the above fact in numbers, if a tankless heater provides 5 liters of water flow per minute (Average is 9-15 liters as measured) it will be able to give you 40 liters of water in 8 minutes, which is equal to 60% savings in energy in terms of time. Coming to the rate of energy consumption, the slightly higher supply of energy required by the tankless heaters as the water flows is offset by the reduced amount of time we require that energy. Correlating both, we can get a saving of at least 20%, depending on various factors, which can be the amount of water required, storage of conventional water heaters and the model of Tankless water heaters (Gas based or electrical) . Also, conventional water heaters heat a larger amount of water at the same time. In case of not using the total amount of water, reheating has to be done for the next batch of hot water if there is a gap in between the first heating and a subsequent one.
- Lower maintenance costs and higher life expectancy: Tankless water heaters have an average life span of 20 years as compared to conventional water heaters which have an average life of 10-12 years. Also, vendors are comfortable in extending lower cost and longer period warranties due to higher life. Additionally, Lower maintenance costs can be enjoyed as a result of compact size allowing easy installation and Re-installation which can be thought upon as an extended benefit in the books of Tankless water heaters. Also, these kind of water heaters do not have a risk of water damage as they are not holding any water. Thus, problems like tank failure or pipe ruptures are not so common in Tankless water heaters. All the above enumerated benefits are a good reason to move towards energy efficient and compact Tankless water heaters in place of big and cumbersome conventional water heaters. Installation costs for the Tankless water heaters are higher than storage heaters as of now, but they more than make up for it by providing the additional benefits. None the less, change is a way of life and more improvements can be expected in the product in terms of lower setup costs, making the shift more easy. The decision should mostly be based on the requirement and frequency of use. For an average household, Tankless water heaters are better without any doubt. Accordingly, for uses in industries viz. Hotels, manufacturing plants, Tankless water heaters can be used in combination with storage heaters to fulfill the high requirements of hot water in these areas.
