- What is a tankless water heater?
Also known as “on demand water heaters” or “instantaneous water heaters” provide hot water only when needed. These water heaters do not have a storage tank that continuously keep anywhere from 15 gallons to 75 gallons (depending on size of tank) hot and ready to use, which in turn uses much more energy over a longer period of time.
- How does a tankless water heater work?
When a faucet is turned on in the home, cold water flows into the water heater. The flow sensor reads that the cold water has passed through the buffer tank and then signals the controller to switch the system into operating mode. This will cause the ignition to spark and the gas valve to open, and once the gas is supplied to the burner combustion begins. While this is all going on, the controller (or brains of the system) monitors the status of combustion and water usage. The cold water passes through the heat exchanger and becomes hot, and the hot water flows out of the faucet.
- If I get a tankless water heater do I still need a chimney?
If your existing hot water tank shares a chimney with your furnace, then yes you will still need to keep your chimney for your furnace to vent. Your tankless water heater will vent its flue gasses through 3” schedule 40 PVC out through the wall of your home. Should you decide to upgrade your furnace to a high efficiency model, then you will also vent your new furnace through PVC out the wall of your home, and there may be no need to use your chimney.
- How do I select the right unit for my needs?
When selecting a gas tankless water heater you need to keep a couple of things in mind, location, and usage. When we think of location we need to keep venting in mind. The ideal location would be on an outside wall so you could vent directly out, however that’s in a perfect world. In many homes the hot water tank is located in the middle of the basement, and the entire basement has been finished around the mechanical room, this is where our CP homecomfort consultant can help you find the right location to install the water heater.
You also have to consider the usage when selecting your water heater. For example, if you have a large family and quite often you are running the dishwasher and someone’s having a shower, and the laundry is going, then you may need to get the larger BTU unit. On the other hand if you have a smaller family and you don’t have such a large demand, then you would be able to run a lower BTU unit. Once again your CP home comfort consultant will take this information into consideration and recommend the right water heater for you and your family.
- What is the life expectancy of a tankless water heater?
While individual usage will have some effect on the life expectancy of your new tankless water heater, published industry standards have claimed the average life expectancy of a tankless system to be more than 20 years. This is due in part to easily replaceable parts that can extend the heater’s life expectancy. In contrast, most conventional hot watertanks have an average life expectancy is 10 to 15 years.
