The tankless water heater heats water as you need it, unlike the storage tank water system that keeps water and continually burns it. However, the tankless water heater is more expensive in installation costs than the room type and requires frequent costly upgrades. Click on the active link to read more about heating water with the tankless water heaters.
General information
Water through the pipes to a household are usually cold or cool depending on the season of the year. A water heater is needed to have a hot shower, use a washing machine and the dishwasher.
Tankless heater systems evade standby loss by heating water as it comes on a need basis (on demand) However, there are factors to consider in deciding what kind of tankless system one should adopt
- Amount of water to be heated at ago or the flow rate
- Desired water temperature the contrast between groundwater and final output of water.
When the pilot light is turned on cold water flows through the pipe to the unit that is either an electric element or a gas burner that shall heat the flowing water. Therefore, the water is heated instantaneously and have an immediate water supply. However, the water heater limits the flow rate/water output.
Tankless water heater systems
Gas heaters produce higher flow rates of water than the electric one which produces 7.6-15.2 litres per minute. Irrespective of whether it is a gas or electric heater no matter how big the models cannot supply sufficient hot water for several uses. In most cases functions, like taking a loading and running the dishwasher and taking a shower, may not work at the same time, it will stretch the tankless water heater beyond its reasonable limit. This limitation can be overcome by installing two or more tankless water heaters connected parallelly to meet the demanded supply of hot water.It is also possible to separately install different water heaters for various uses i.e. dishwasher, shower, laundry, etc.
How to Install and maintain a water heater
Factors that installation depends on include; local building code requirements, climate, fuel type and safety issues. Security issues are very critical for gas types of water heaters. It is, therefore, advisable to get professionals to the installation of your tankless water heater.
Factors to consider when selecting the contractor
- Ask for references
- Check if the company you are contracting is registered with your local Business Bureau.
- Ensure that the corporation understands local business codes.
- Request for cost estimates of the job