How Tankless Water Heaters Work
On-demand water heaters sound complicated, but the technology is actually straightforward.
When you turn on your tap, your fixture draws water from your main water supply or your water heater, depending on which you activate. A Tankless water heater is installed along a diversion in the main water line, rather than running through a tank. As a result, much like your cold water supply, you’ll have a nearly endless amount of hot water available in your home.
So how does the water heat up?
A device is installed along the diverted water line that features a heat exchanger. This element can be heated with gas or electricity, depending on the configuration of your home. As the water goes through this device, it’s heated in real time, and this hot water continues on its way to your plumbing fixture.
This method only heats the water that you need, as you need it, so there is very little waste, and you don’t have to wait for your tank to re-fill before you have a supply of hot water.
The Efficiency of a Tankless Water Heater
Since there is very little waste, on-demand water heaters are highly efficient. In fact, some tankless water heaters have an efficiency rating of up to 98 percent, which means that for every dollar you spend on hot water, 98 cents of it is water that you’re actually using. This efficiency rating can save homeowners hundreds in energy costs on their hot water heater costs over the year.
We carry a new line of hot water heaters that are high-tech, low energy, and very efficient at delivering hot water just when you need it. Tankless water heaters have revolutionized home water heating and supply systems because of their convenience and efficiency. There may be federal tax incentives or local utility incentives to help with the expense of a tankless water heater, as well, so give us a call at 253-533-7500 to learn more.
Save on Space
As you might have guessed, tankless water heaters take up far less space than traditional units, but do you know how much less?
Well, the typical water heater is about five feet high and two feet wide, as it needs to hold between 40 and 60 gallons of water. You could be using this is space for storage, and if you live in a small home, every square foot helps.
A tankless heater, on the other hand, only takes up inches of space, as it’s normally hung on a wall or in a crawlspace, so you won’t even notice that it’s there.
The end result is that you have more space to use for any reason you wish, along with more hot water and lower energy bills.
