Tankless Water Heaters: Pros and Cons

If you are like other Orange County California residents, you may have heard about tankless water heaters from your local plumber near you. But what are tankless water heaters really, and are they worth installing in your home? Great question! We are here to provide the top Pros and Cons of tankless water heaters and how they might benefit your home’s plumbing system and your pockets.
 

First, let’s start with the Pros…

 

1. Energy Reduction and Cost Savings.

Tankless water heaters expend much less energy than traditional hot water heaters with tanks. Regular water heaters constantly use energy to keep the water in the tank heated so it can be used at any time. A tankless heater heats the water on-demand, therefore, using much less energy in the process. Less energy used means lower electric or gas bills. In fact, a tankless heater can be up to 50% more efficient than a regular tank. Here is a great comparison of energy savings from tankless water heaters by the natural gas company, Spire Energy.
 

2. Unlimited Supply of Hot Water.

Do you have that one person in your home who showers way too long? He or she usually ends up using up all of the hot water and the next person in line is stuck taking a cold shower. With a tankless water heater, this problem disappears. Because a tankless heater heats water on-demand and does not have a reserve tank, you could take a shower for hours and never run out of hot water.
 

3. Long Life Expectancy with Zero Risk of Tank Exploding.

Regular tank-style heaters have an average life of about 10 years. Tankless heaters can go as long as 20 years and still function properly! The added lifespan will save you money on having to replace your tank. In addition, because a tankless heater does not have a tank, you are not at risk of an explosion. Regular tanks have a pressure that builds up and if the release valve is not working properly, you are at risk of an explosion!
 

Now, the Cons…

 

1. High Investment.

According to this great article on HomeAdvisor, the national average cost of a regular tank installation in Irvine, CA is about $1,200. A tankless heater installation is about $3,000. The higher investment in the tank, however, the investment could pay for itself with the increased cost savings.
 

2. Longer Time to Deliver Hot Water.

Because of the way a tankless heater works by heating water on-demand in real-time, it can take longer to receive hot water out of your faucet. A regular tank heater has hot water stored ready to be used, and can therefore be used faster.
 

3. No Hot Water in Power Outage.

Because tankless hot water heaters rely on electricity to heat water (even the gas ones rely on an electric control panel), when the power is out, you have no hot water.
 
So, what’s the bottom line? Interested in seeing if a tankless hot water heater is a good idea for your home? Give us a call today and we can guide you through your options.