You go to take a shower, only to be blasted with a frigid Arctic stream instead of the soothing hot water you were expecting. Your trusty tank water heater has decided to quit on you, leaving you at the mercy of whatever icy temperatures it last bestowed upon your pipes. Fantastic.
Whether your tank heater has reached the end of its lifespan or you’re just fed up with its energy-guzzling ways, a tankless water heater might be the upgrade you need. These on-demand units have been gaining major popularity by promising hot water that never runs out and lower utility bills to boot. But like any household appliance, they come with their own set of pros and cons to mull over.
Before you go dropping serious cash on one of these modern marvels, let’s investigate the good, the bad, and the scalding about tankless water heaters. From endless hot showers to potential cold water sandwich shockers, we’re going to break down every detail you need to make an informed decision. Your showering satisfaction is on the line!
Pros of Tankless Water Heaters
Energy Efficiency Extraordinaires
One of the biggest selling points for team tankless is their potential to save you some serious cash on those monthly utility bills. Unlike traditional tank heaters that operate round-the-clock to keep dozens of gallons constantly hot, tankless units only fire up when you actually need hot water. That on-demand heating system is way more energy efficient.
How much more efficient? Some estimates show gas-fired tankless heaters can be 24-34% more energy efficient than conventional storage tanks. For electric models, we’re talking around a 24-50% efficiency bump. That’s like getting a quarter to half off your water heating costs!
But the energy savings don’t stop there. With no constant standby heat losses like tank heaters have, you could reduce your home’s overall energy consumption by 8-14% just by making the tankless switch. Hello, lower carbon footprint and eco-friendly bragging rights!
Space-Saving Marvels
If you’ve ever had to devote a whole closet or corner of your home to that bulky tank water heater, you’ll love how compact tankless units are in comparison. Some models are literally the size of a suitcase you can mount on the wall and forget about. Talk about opening up some room!
Even larger units designed to supply hot water for entire households tend to be more space-efficient than traditional tanks. That makes them ideal for homes where square footage is at a premium. Or tiny houses where space is basically non-existent.
With their small footprint and versatile installation potential, tankless heaters free up precious room for more important things. Like that extra bathroom you’ve been dreaming of or finally getting rid of your mother-in-law’s hand-me-down dresser from the 70s.
Endless Hot Water Satisfaction
Running out of hot water mid-shower is a special kind of torture. One minute you’re enjoying a steamy cascade of relaxation, the next you’re shrieking like a cat getting a bath as the icy stream hits. With a tank heater, it’s an all-too-common nightmare.
Tankless units solve this problem by providing a continuous flow of hot water as long as you need it. They heat the water on-demand as it passes through, rather than relying on a limited tank storage supply. That means no more abruptly frigid wake-up calls cutting your shower short.
Have a large family all trying to wash up one after another? Not a problem for a tankless heater’s endless hot water capabilities. Just don’t plan on running every shower, faucet and appliance requiring hot water simultaneously. These units do have a limit on how many gallons per minute they can produce. But for most standard household use, you should never run out.
Lifespan Longevity
With their lack of mega water storage tanks, tankless heaters simply have fewer components that can fail over time. That’s a major reason they tend to substantially outlast their tank water heater counterparts in the lifespan department.
While traditional tank units typically conk out after 10-15 years of hard water-heating labor, most tankless models can keep on tickin’ for 20 years or more when properly maintained. Some even come with warranties covering heat exchangers for 15 years or more. Talk about getting your money’s worth!
Sure, you’ll likely have to invest in some professional flushing and descaling services periodically to keep mineral buildup at bay. But compared to replacing entire tank units every decade, those maintenance costs are pretty tame. Stretching out your water heater’s usable life by years can make those higher upfront costs for a tankless unit much easier to swallow over time.
Cons of Tankless Water Heaters
Expensive Upfront Sticker Shock
Let’s just rip the Band-Aid off right away – tankless water heaters are straight-up pricier than their tank-styled counterparts when it comes to upfront costs. Significantly pricier in some cases. While a basic tank heater might run you a few hundred dollars for the unit itself, even the most budget-friendly tankless models start just below a thousand bucks. And that’s before you’ve paid for installation.
Speaking of installation, that’s where tankless water heaters really stick it to your wallet. Their setup requirements like new venting and gas lines can tack on an extra thousand dollars to the overall bill. For gas-fired units, you’re realistically looking at around one thousand to two thousand for the heater itself plus installation costs.
If you want to go big with a high-performance condensing tankless heater that can supply hot water for entire households, be ready to fork over a couple thousand dollars once everything is said and done.
Limited Flow Rate Constraints
We touched on how tankless water heaters can essentially supply endless hot water as long as you have a need for it. But there’s a pretty major caveat there – they can only do so at a limited flow rate before you start running into cold water problems.
See, tankless units can really only heat so many gallons per minute based on their particular model and fuel type. A gas-powered one might max out at around 5-7 GPM, for example. An electric model could be as low as 2 GPM in some cases.
That makes them perfectly adequate for small households with minor hot water demands. But larger families trying to run multiple hot water sources at once may hit that flow rate ceiling pretty quickly. Nobody wants a cold water sandwich in their morning shower just because someone else was running the dishwasher!
The Cold Water Sandwich Effect
Speaking of cold water problems, let’s discuss one of the most maddening potential downsides of going tankless – that dreaded cold water sandwich effect. You know how the hot water from a tank heater has a bit of a “ramp up” period when you first turn on a faucet or shower? That’s because the cold water sitting in your pipes has to flush out first before the hot water from the tank reaches you.
With tankless systems, that effect is amplified since there’s no hot water storage at all. When you go from using no hot water to demanding it, the cold water passes through the heater first before the hot follows behind. So you’ll experience that unpleasant cold burst sandwiched between the hot water you want.
Most tankless heaters do have built-in buffers to help minimize this effect. But it can still happen occasionally, especially with older units. Just be ready for the potential of some quick cold shocks amidst your hot water stream.
Mineral Buildup Woes
If you live in an area with hard water containing lots of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium, get ready for some maintenance headaches with a tankless heater. Those mineral-rich water supplies are basically kryptonite for the compact heat exchangers inside tankless units.
As the water passes through and gets heated, those pesky minerals get left behind in the form of rigid scale buildup on the heat exchanger’s surfaces. Over time, that crusty buildup acts as insulation that chokes off the unit’s efficiency and performance. Mineral buildup is the silent killer slowly degrading your tankless heater’s capabilities.
To combat this, you’ll need to have your tankless unit flushed and descaled by a professional every 6-12 months or so. An expensive but necessary chore if you want to keep that mineral buildup from eventually clogging up your heater and rendering it useless down the road.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Tankless Water Heater
With all those potential pros and cons spelled out, you can probably already start to see why sizing up the right tankless water heater for your specific situation is so crucial. These units aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. You’ve got to take a good hard look at your home’s hot water demands and other factors to ensure you get a model that can actually meet your needs. Otherwise, you might as well just flush your money down the drain.
Household Size & Hot Water Needs
Obviously, the bigger your household and the more people showering, doing laundry, washing dishes and such – the higher your peak hot water demand is going to be. A small tankless heater designed for a studio apartment just ain’t gonna cut it for a family of five.
Take a look at the flow rate you’ll realistically need to cover all those simultaneous hot water activities. Most manufacturers provide charts estimating gallons per minute required for different household sizes and standard use cases. You’ll likely need a larger model with a high GPM rating for bigger families.
Climate & Temperature Swings
Here’s another big factor that’s easy to overlook – the temperature of the incoming groundwater your tankless heater will be working with. Units have to work harder (i.e. use more energy) to bring very cold water up to ideal temps.
If you live in a region with serious seasonal temperature swings, you may need to oversize your tankless heater to compensate for those super frosty winter months. A unit that can easily supply hot water during warm summer conditions might struggle once temps dip down into the 30s or below.
Water Quality Woes
Remember how we mentioned hard water being a potential enemy of tankless water heaters thanks to that mineral buildup factor? If you live in an area with particularly hard H2O running through your pipes, you’ll definitely want to calculate those extra descaling costs into your decision.
While you can install a water softener system to help mitigate the issue, those come with their own expenses and maintenance requirements to factor in as well. Choosing a tankless model with better hard water resistance or easier access for flushing may be worth the investment.
Fuel Type Factors
The fuel source you have available for powering your tankless heater – gas or electric – is another key consideration that’ll impact your options and overall costs. In general, gas-fired units tend to have an edge over electric models when it comes to flow rates and energy efficiency. But going gas also requires proper venting that can make installation costs soar.
If you don’t already have a gas line available where you plan to install your tankless heater, the added plumbing work to run a new line could make an electric model the more cost-effective choice despite its potential drawbacks.
Installation Obstacles
Speaking of installation, that’s a huge factor that can make or break the feasibility of going tankless in some homes. These units have very specific venting and clearance requirements that limit where you can install them. Older homes with tighter spaces and less flexible construction can make it extremely difficult to make everything fit to code.
If you plan to go the contractor installation route, get some quotes factoring in your home’s unique layout and construction type. Those numbers can vary wildly depending on the complexity involved. For some homes, the installation costs alone might be enough to steer you away from tankless.
Maintenance Commitments
Finally, you’ll want to bake in those long-term maintenance costs we mentioned into your decision. Paying for annual descaling services can add up over the lifespan of a tankless heater – potentially negating some of those promised energy savings if you have really hard water.
You’ll also need to weigh the potential repair and replacement costs down the road. Tankless heaters may last longer, but their parts can be pricier to fix when something eventually breaks. Make sure you’ve got a budget for keeping that unit properly maintained and serviced for maximum lifespan.
There’s a lot to unpack and think about, but doing your due diligence upfront can ensure your tankless heater investment doesn’t ultimately leave you feeling burned. With some careful planning for your home’s unique needs, you can make sure those endless hot showers live up to the hype.
Should You Make the Tankless Leap?
There you have it – the full scoop, good and bad, on these increasingly popular tankless water heaters. They offer some serious upsides like lower energy costs and always having hot water on tap. But they’re not without their downsides either, from expensive upfront prices to dealing with mineral buildup over time.
Only you can decide if the pros outweigh the cons for your particular situation. It’s going to come down to your hot water needs, energy costs, home setup and overall budget. Don’t rush into anything until you’ve carefully weighed how a tankless unit would truly impact your household.
If you’re feeling lost trying to crunch all the numbers and logistics, bring in some professional backup. The seasoned team at Bassett Services has been guiding local homeowners through tankless water heater decisions for years. We’ll make sure you get properly sized up for a unit that delivers hot water nirvana without any unexpected headaches down the road. Drop us a line at (317) 360-0054 so we can discuss making the tankless switch a reality!
