Back in the days (before 1990), water was stored in tanks and heated 24/7 to provide hot water on-demand. Imagine the amount of energy required to keep water hot constantly. If the tank got empty because Agnes decided to take a bubble bath on a Thursday evening, then you would have to wait until the tank was refilled and the water was heated up again. Talk about a waste of time and energy (no wonder it was quickly replaced by advanced technology).
Luckily, some unknown geniuses in the 1990s invented the magical machine we now know as the tankless water heater. The tankless water heater heats water only when you need it and for the required duration, providing an endless flow of hot water. They do not require a tank to store up hot water or keep it always hot. With tankless heaters, you only heat water as you use it. That saves a ton of energy and time. Gone are the days of waiting for the tank to fill up because Agnes took an extra-long shower.
Types Of Tankless Water Heaters
There are basic main types of tankless water heaters; the gas and the electric tankless heaters. An electric tankless water heater is powered by electricity. They are more portable than their gas counterpart and are even small enough to be installed under sinks. They heat water via thick copper rods and do not require vents. The electric tankless unit, unlike the gas, does not involve combustion when heating water. This makes it a safer option in our review of the best tankless water heater.
Benefits Of Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless heaters are compact. They are about the size of a suitcase and can easily be hung on a wall. The electric units are even smaller, making it suitable enough to be placed in-house or even right inside your bathroom without taking up space.
Electric heaters are safer. Like earlier mentioned, the electric units do not require combustion to heat water like its gas counterpart. It heats via thick copper rods. Also, because there is no combustion, there is no need for ventilation. While gas heaters are safe, electric ones give that extra reassurance.
Tankless heaters provide hot water rather quickly; usually taking only about 15 seconds to bring water up to the required temperature. They can be connected to and powered entirely by solar panels. This enables massive savings on your energy bill.
Modern models come with digital connectivity. This allows you to adjust settings like water temperature and usage from your smartphone (digital sorcery). This also facilitates diagnostics. Your tankless unit can send error reports directly to your smartphone so you would know exactly what went wrong should a problem surface.
The set-up cost for electric tankless type heaters is less than that for tank-type and even tankless gas heaters. Ventilation systems and gas piping are not required when setting up electric-type heaters.
Tankless water heaters are the certainly future of water heating systems, and the benefits the electric tankless heater provides are just way too good to ignore. You should consider getting one as soon as you can.