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Addressing Common Complaints About Tankless Water Heaters

Thereโ€™s a lot of buzz about tankless water heating. Of course, thereโ€™s also lots of information on the internet that you have to decipher. I want to take some time to address six of the more common complaints that Iโ€™ve seen.

ย 1. Tankless water heating is not worth the cost to put it in.

ย This is simply not true. The efficiency is just a small chunk of the payback. Even though itโ€™s much more efficient, the bigger payback comes from the long life of the system. Tankless water heaters last twice as long as tank water heaters.

ย If you plan on living in your home for 20 years, for example, youโ€™ll more than likely have to replace the water heater twice during that time if you have a tank system. A tankless system, on the other hand, will only have to be replaced once during this same time period.

ย Even if youโ€™re going to sell your home, a tankless system can be attractive to prospective buyers. The return on investment is clearly there. If you have someone knowledgable who can pencil out the return, theyโ€™ll be able to take your electric/gas bill, the longevity of your current system, and come up with the exact calculation of your total savings.

ย 2. Not all homes can have a tankless system.

ย This is mostly untrue. Just because you donโ€™t have a tankless system and/or you have a finished area, there are still options available to you. There can definitely be relocation of the system and we can also take different types of plumbing into account. Iโ€™ve put tankless systems in homes where people didnโ€™t think they were a candidate.

ย The important thing to do is get someone knowledgeable to visit your home and take a look at your system. Theyโ€™ll be able to tell you if you really are a good candidate to get a tankless system installed.

ย 3. Electric tankless is as good as gas tankless.

ย Electric tankless systems only comprise about 2% of the water heaters we put in. The reason why is because theyโ€™re nowhere near as efficient as gas systems. Theyโ€™re not as dependable, either. You also have to have a significant power source to be able to power electric tankless systems.

ย 4. I can find the same kind of system for a cheaper price somewhere else.

ย Just like anything else that you may purchase, thereโ€™s definitely a difference in quality. It could be the way the heater is vented, whether itโ€™s condensing/non-condensing, or whether it has a stainless steel heat exchanger or a copper heat exchanger, the type or warranty, or the unitโ€™s efficiency.

ย All these different features and benefits can vary if you buy the system from a cheaper source. It would be wise to first speak with someone knowledgable about the options that available to you.

ย 5. Iโ€™m uncertain about whether a tankless system can meet my hot water needs.

ย Weโ€™ve put in over 300 tankless water heaters. They will provide endless hot water as long as they receive gas/power. If the right kind of unit is installed and sized properly, a single water heater can run up to three showers simultaneously. In most homes, thatโ€™s definitely a practical solution that meets the needs of a family. Everyone can take a shower one right after another without ever having to be concerned about running out of hot water.

ย 6. Iโ€™ve read a lot of bad reviews online.

ย As always, thereโ€™s a lot of information available online. When someone goes online to do research, theyโ€™ll end up seeing many good and bad reviews. Of course, the bad reviews can scare people. However, most of those reviews are due to improper installation or improper sizing. If a professional puts in the water heater, the piping is properly sized, and the heater is properly sized and installed, the system is going to work as advertised. Itโ€™s also going to be very dependable.

If you have any questions about installing a tankless water heater in your home, contact us online or give us a call at (540) 685-0366.