Using a tankless water heater can be a great way to help reduce your carbon footprint and your energy bill. However, not every home can benefit from a tankless water heater; some are better off using a traditional tank-based water heater. Knowing the difference between the two, and knowing which one to use for your home, is important in order to supply enough hot water to keep up with demand in your home.
Differences Between Water Heaters
A tankless water heater warms up water as it is needed. The water travels through a tight system of pipes and gets hotter as it gets closer to the output of the water heater. A traditional tank-based water heater can hold up to 100 gallons of hot water at once. This water is kept at a certain temperature constantly through a heat source.
Advantages of Using a Tankless Heater
The main advantage of using a tankless water heater is that it can lower your energy bills since the water is only heated up when it is needed. You also avoid the heat loss often associated with tank heaters. In addition, tankless water heaters are also much smaller than the tank-based variety, and take up less space in your utility room or basement.
What Type of Hot Water Heater Should be Used?
If you have a small family, and a small home, a tankless water heater may be perfect, since you would not need a lot of hot water at one time. Large families, living in a house with multiple bathrooms, would probably need a tank heater in order for more than one person to take a shower, while the washer and dishwasher are on at the same time.
If you are interested in learning more about tankless water heaters, or if you have any other questions about your home’s plumbing or HVAC systems, get in touch with the professionals at Aladdin Heating. We have been helping customers in the Farmington Hills and Grosse Pointe Farms since 1945.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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