Water Heaters vs. Tankless Water Heaters: What's The Difference?

Hot water is a pretty vital part of everyday life. It is used to clean and eat, and the ability to obtain hot water from a faucet is especially convenient. Until recently, if someone wanted hot water in their home, they needed a water heater. Bulky and ornery, these devices can leak if not replaced every few decades. Still, for hot water, they were the only game in town.

Until recently, that is. Tankless hot water heaters are now on the market. While traditional water heaters utilize a tank to hold 30 to 50 gallons of preheated water, depending on size, tankless water heaters heat water on demand, as much as three gallons a minute. Whether someone decides to go tankless or use a traditional water heater depends on their needs and their budget.

Tankless water heaters can be more costly to install and retrofit a home about double the cost of a standard water heater. That said, they can last for over twenty years, can cut a heating bill by up to a third, and don't take up room like a traditional water heater. Tankless water heaters save money in the long term and space.

Traditional water heaters are cheaper to install, but don't last as long and take up space. They can also leak.

When deciding if a home should make the switch, the decision comes down to the budget and the amount of water needed. Tankless water heaters are limited to two or three gallons a minute, which is admittedly a lot. For a large family, however, they could conceivably go through a lot of hot water faster than the new heater could handle the load. Additional tankless heaters can be added, but that is an expensive option.  Of course, the issue with a traditional water heater is that once it runs out of the water, it takes time to refill and heat more water.

In the long term, tankless water heaters certainly have their advantages, but they are expensive and limited in the amount of water they can heat any one time. The decision to go tankless or stick with an old school water heater ultimately depends on how much hot water is used and if a household can afford to make the change.

For information on tankless hot water heaters and if they are the right choice for your custom home contact Grayson Homes at 919-578-6222.