How Tankless Water Heaters Heat Your Water
So, how do you heat water without a tank?
It sounds like a complicated process, but it’s actually pretty simple thanks to modern technology.
Whenever you turn on a tap in your kitchen or bathroom, it brings cold water from your main water line and hot water from your tank. The water from these two sources mixes together to bring warm water to your fixtures.
When you install a tankless water heater, it’s placed along a diversion in the water line that features a box with a heat exchanger. This element heats water as it passes through the box, providing you with a nearly unlimited supply of hot water.
The key is that the tankless water heater only heats water as you need it, cutting down on waste and reducing your energy costs. You also won’t have to wait for your tank to heat the water before using it, so if you want to do laundry, wash some dishes, and take a shower in short order, you can do so.
The only real limitations on your on-demand water are the capacity of the tankless water heater and your home’s water supply.
How Efficient is a Tankless Water Heater?
In addition to on-demand hot water, tankless water heaters are incredibly efficient. In fact, these units have efficiency ratings of up to 98%, which means that you use 98 cents of hot water for every dollar you spend on heating it. By comparison, even Energy Star certified hot water tanks generally have an efficiency rating of between 67 and 75%.
Since Gig Harbor water heating can equal between 15 and 25% of your total residential energy costs, reducing the amount you’re paying to heat your water could save you hundreds of dollars per year and thousands of dollars over the life of your tankless heater.
Give us a call at 253-533-7500 to learn more about tankless water heaters in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Saving Some Space
The monetary savings might be your main reason for investing in a tankless heater, but there are other benefits, as well.
For starters, the size of these units is an advantage because they take up very little space.
The typical water heater is about five feet high and two feet wide, holding between 40 and 60 gallons of water. This mass takes up a fair amount of space in your furnace room that you could use for storage. If you live in a small home, this additional storage capacity could be vital.
When your tankless water heater is installed, the technician will often hang it on a wall or in your crawlspace. You’ll barely even know it’s there, which many Gig Harbor residents see as a positive.
