Three things to consider before you choose tankless.
I love tankless water heaters and our clients do too. Tankless water heaters have many advantages over a traditional storage tank water heater:
Endless hot water
Energy efficiency
Space Saving
Longer lasting
Longer warranty
However, there are some things to consider before you choose a tankless water heater.
1. Water Consumption
Unlike a storage tank water heater, tankless only heats the water that you use, this greatly helps with saving gas, the downside is that it takes longer to get the water hot when you turn on the faucet or shower. It typically takes around 10 to 20 seconds longer at the fixture to get hot water with a tankless water heater, which doesn't sound like much but it can add up to a fair amount of wasted water.
2. No Power = No Hot Water
These water heaters are gas heaters, they do however require electrical power for the fan, burner control, ignitor and board. So, unlike a storage tank, if the power goes out, you will not have any hot water.
3. Maintenance
Tankless water heaters do require maintenance. Depending on the water quality and the manufacturers recommendations, this can be every year or up to 5 years. At Big Blue we offer a scheduled maintenance program which includes the maintenance on the tankless water heater. The program is inexpensive and extends the warranty of the unit.
