Tankless whole house water heaters are popular for many reasons including their ability to provide a continuous supply of hot water heater throughout the house and the cost savings that homeowners realize with their use.
They are also becoming more popular because they are made for use with diverse forms of energy. Most whole house water heaters are gas fired, meaning that they use either natural gas where it is offered in developed areas, or propane in more rural areas. Gas requires additional venting pipes to remove waste gases like CO from the house, but gas is safe and affordable.
Electric whole house water heaters are also available. They are the most cost effective to install because they do not require extra exhaust piping to be added to the home. They are considered more “green” because they do not produce greenhouse gases. Currently, gas units cost less to run than electrical, though some energy analysts suggest that may change in the next decade or two.
Finally, solar powered whole house tankless water heaters are entering the market and are perfect for homeowners who are presently living off the grid or who want to reduce their dependency on energy companies. Tankless units measure the temperature of the water coming into the unit, not just the water exiting the unit, and since solar units have hot water entering them, they require very little energy to heat the water to the specified temperature. They represent the greatest cost savings for homeowners in climates that experience an abundance of sunny days.
This question is commonly asked by homeowners considering a whole house tankless water heater, and the answer depends on the demand that will be placed on the unit. In many cases, one unit is enough. At other times, more than one whole house tankless water heater will do a better job of insuring a continuous supply of on-demand hot water.
The key to determining whether you will need two units or whether you can get by with one is to compare how much hot water your home typically uses with the hot water producing capacity of the tankless water heaters you are considering for purchase.
To start, consider the outflow capacity of the faucets and appliances in your home. A kitchen faucet or utility faucet flows at the rate of 2.2 gallons per minute. A bathroom faucet also flows at 2.2 g.p.m. Shower heads are the same – 2.2 g.p.m. Keep in mind that these figures represent the maximum flow. If the handle is not opened all the way, the flow will be less.
Appliances like dishwashers or washing machines use more gallons per minute when running, but they run intermittently, so do not present a capacity problem in most cases. Now, if you have a large family that uses multiple hot water feeds at once, add more of these together. Smaller families will have less hot water running at any one time.
When you’ve done the math, peruse the whole house tankless water heaters you are considering to see if there is a unit that will handle the capacity. If so, one is all you need. If not, consider buying a unit with a quick-attach feature, meaning a second unit can be added with little or no additional plumbing. The good news is that most manufacturers of tankless water heaters produce a unit designed to handle the hot water needs of medium to large families.
The benefits of using a whole house tankless water heater are many, which is why they are growing in popularity every year as a better way to heat water. To begin with, you install a water heater to get hot water, and a tankless water heater is the best way to guarantee a continuous supply of hot water throughout the house.
Traditional models with tanks generally do not heat water fast enough to keep up if demand is constant, and will eventually run out of hot water. Tankless heaters feature an innovative heating system using a heat exchanger that heats the water as it passes through the pipe on the way to the faucet or appliance.
Secondly, whole house tankless water heaters are very efficient, offer the greatest cost savings on energy over traditional models which waste energy by reheating water even when there’s been no demand. This is called standby heat loss and it can be very costly. Whole house units will save money over using several point of use units in the same home, too.
Additional benefits include the fact that tankless water heaters last 2-3 times longer than traditional units, particularly because they are not as susceptible to corrosion and the build-up of deposits from minerals in the water. These heaters are also more compact than traditional HWH’s and can be installed in tighter spots. Finally, at present, energy efficient whole house tankless water heaters are eligible for a federal tax rebate. With these benefits it’s no wonder more homeowners are choosing to install a whole house tankless water heater.
Tankless water heaters are also called “on demand” water heaters, and that gives an important insight into how they work. They heat water only as it is needed. The absence of a tank in which hot water is stored and continually reheated, even when there is no demand, means that there is no standby heat loss whatsoever. Instead, the tankless water heater transfers heat to the water as it circulates through the heating component, known as a heat exchanger.
The heat in the exchanger is generated either by electric coils or a gas fired burner – natural gas or propane – to quickly and effectively heat water from a cold water feed. There may be 20 feet or more of water pipe running back and forth within the heat exchanger, giving the unit ample time to heat the water. The exchanger is activated only by the flow of water when someone turns on a faucet or appliance that is fed by the unit. Because of the way they function, tankless water heaters have the ability to supply a steady flow of hot water without risk of it going cold.
There are two basic styles of tankless water heaters. Whole house water heaters have a larger capacity and are able to supply continuous hot water to several applications at once – faucets, showers, and appliances. Point of use units supply hot water heater to one or two application points located in close proximity, such as in a bathroom or kitchen.
Tankless whole house water heaters are popular for many reasons including their ability to provide a continuous supply of hot water heater throughout the house and the cost savings that homeowners realize with their use.
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Tankless water heaters are also called “on demand” water heaters, and that gives an important insight into how they work. They heat water only as it is needed. The absence of a tank in which hot water is stored and continually reheated, even when there is no demand, means that there is no standby heat loss whatsoever. Instead, the tankless water heater transfers heat to the water as it circulates through the heating component, known as a heat exchanger.