In winter, the American people cannot seem to take a shower without the hot water, even in the dream. Today’s city life is taking a shower, but hot water is also essential for different household purposes like dish-washing, Laundry, heating room, etc. The solution lets you set an appropriate water heater based on your goal. However, in the market, there are several types of water heater available for domestic uses. Like storage or tank water heater, Tankless or point of use (POU) or on-demand water heater, heat pump (hybrid) water heater, solar water heater, condensing water heater, etc.
If you want to buy a new water heater or replace an old one, choosing the right one by matching it with your purpose is challenging. Among domestic water heaters, traditional tank-type water heater and modern Tankless water heater are most popular. We try to discuss here the mentioned water heaters which may help you to make a buying decision.
The principle of a water heater is to produce hot water.
The Traditional Storage Water Heater is the most popular water heating appliance. It heats the water by a heating coil inside an insulated tank. The tank capacity varies from 20 to 80 gallons (80 – 320 liter) based on the requirement. To heat the water, it uses different fuels like natural gas, electricity, propane, fuel oil, etc. This type of water heaters holds hot water until use in a tank since heating.
On the other hand, Tankless Water Heater knew as a Point of Use (POU) or an on-demand water heater. The tankless Water heater uses a burner to heat the water instantly as it flows through a heat exchanger or coil and delivers it directly to your faucets or point of use without storing it in a tank. This type of water heater uses propane, natural gas, and electricity to heat the water. The hot water flow rate of the Tankless Water Heater is limited to 2-5 GPM.
A solution for Instant Hot Water:
If you get a cold water flow in the middle of a shower, then it will be a nightmare. It may happen if you are the last man in your family. Because in Storage Water Heater it’s required some time to reheat the freshly entered water after finish the pre-stored hot water supply.
But in the modern Tankless Water Heater, you will instantly get a continuous hot water supply whenever you require it. This device can maintain the hot water flows for unlimited times.
However, to drain the cold water from the pipe, it required few seconds to get hot water for both the water heater. Setup a circulation pump to lock the hot water will solve this problem.
Bring decent looks in your kitchen:
Old tank-type water heater occupied more space than modern Tankless Water Heater. The big size tank sometimes creates obstacles inside your house either you set it in your kitchen or storehouse. The tank water heater is not suitable for installing in exposed weather conditions.
The Tankless Water Heater brings an aesthetic look to your kitchen due to its’ compact design. The small and compact size will give you the advantage to fix it up by the match with the interior design of your kitchen cabinet. You can set where needed, even on outside walls, if your house is space-challenged.
Long working life as twice as traditional one:
Usually, the Tankless Water Heater lasts for 20 to 25 years, double as the Tank Water Heater. The standards warranty for a Tank Water Heater is 6-year,s whereas a Tankless Water Heart warranty is about 15 years.
However, due to high-end technology and more internal parts, Tankless Water Heater required professional maintenance regularly.
Save Energy thus cut your utility bills:
Tank Water Heater maintains a constant temperature (120-140° F) to keep the water warm inside the tank until its use. Also, it heats the full tank of water (20-80 gallons) whether you need it or not; however, in Tankless heat, the water only when needed.
Thus, the tankless water heater is 24-34% more energy-efficient than tank one for the household that uses 41 gallons or less hot water daily. As per the US Department of Energy, you can save about $108 annually from your utility bills using a tankless heater.
Energy Star Ratings
Tankless water heater typically has 6-star energy ratings, sometimes found 7-star rating and Tankless run both by natural gas and LPG.
As opposed to tank water heaters are mostly 4 to 5-star energy ratings.
Save the environment by reducing CO2 emission:
The tank water heater, which runs by coal-fired electricity, produced more CO2 emissions than the Tankless one.
You can reduce 75% more CO2 emission by replacing the traditional water heater with a continuous flow Tankless water heater, which LPG runs.
Clean & Fresh Water Supply
Water supply from a tank water heater may pick rust and flaky scale, which may build up inside the tank.
There is no chance of rust formation in the Tankless water heater system as there is no tank. So, the Tankless water heater will ensure a fresh and clean water supply for your use.
Concurrent use of hot water
For a joint family, shower four or more members at a time, use laundry or dishwasher simultaneously, then a large storage tank water heater is suitable for you. However, it will increase your utility bill.
By installing a Tankless water heater paralleled in each outlet, you can achieve more energy savings of 27-50% as well as, and you can use hot water for multipurpose at the same time.
Health and Safety
There is a fair chance of growing bacteria inside the tank water heater if not maintaining optimum temperature (i.e., 60° C recommended by WHO). However, it is difficult to keep the optimum temperature at the bottom of the tank. So, it may turn into a breeding ground of Legionellosis bacteria responsible for respiratory diseases like pneumonia.
There is no such chance as there is no standing water which helps to breed bacteria inside it. For more safety, it is better to set the temperature at 50° C.
Higher upfront and maintenance cost
There is a common myth that the Tankless water heater is more costly than the traditional one. Usually, the difference is shrunken if you compare a 5-star tank with a 6 or 7-star Tankless water heater.
Finding a 100% maintenance-free device is an arduous task. The more you maintain, the more you get output from it. However, Tankless is a high-end technology that needs little more maintenance than a tank water heater. You never need to worry about flooding due to a broken tank problem in the Tankless heater.
Computerized Control System
Modern Tankless water heater has a computer control unit (ECU), which controls all functions like temperature, ignition, gas flow, and modulation. There is also a flame sensor and automatic gas-cut-off system for handling an emergency.
If you have severe budget constraints or it’s hard to manage your bank, you can go for a tank water heater; otherwise, Tankless will be the best option in all aspects. Now it is your turn to choose.