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Book NowResearching your next water heater can get tricky when you encounter conflicting information between tankless and conventional water heaters. How do you separate fact from fiction? Well, by debunking the top misconceptions about tank vs. tankless water heaters, you can sort out the facts more easily.
After installing thousands of water heaters across Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, we’ve seen how some misconceptions about tank and tankless water heaters still linger. At Monkey Wrench, our technicians receive specialized training from top water heaters brands, such as Navien and Noritz, to help raise awareness about the facts of tank vs tankless water heaters.
We looked at the top myths of tank vs tankless water heaters, which are,
- Myth 1: Instant hot water
- Myth 2: Tankless water heaters offer more savings
- Myth 3: Tankless water heaters don’t need maintenance
After exploring these myths, you’ll gain a greater insight into conventional and tankless water heaters, making it easier to decide which one is best for you.
What Are the Top Tank vs. Tankless Water Heaters Myths?
Myth 1: Instant Hot Water
Tankless water heaters are constantly (and wrongfully) advertised as instant hot water heaters. However, depending on certain factors, such as the location of your tankless water heater and how far it needs to travel to a fixture, these systems can take 15 to over 30 seconds to provide hot water to a desired fixture.
Instead, tankless water heaters can provide continuous hot water to multiple fixtures, such as a washer and shower, without running out. This is in contrast to tank-style water heaters, which can run out of hot water if there’s a high demand. Even worse, these water heaters can take over 30 minutes to heat water, depending on the gallon capacity of the conventional water heater.
Thirty seconds doesn’t sound like a lot of time for your tankless water heater to deliver hot water, but it can feel like an eternity as you stand waiting for hot water to arrive at your faucet or showerhead. Luckily, this wait can be eliminated and sped up.
With a recirculation pump, you can reduce the time it takes for hot water to reach the fixture from a few seconds to less than 10 seconds. This device creates a loop for hot water to travel throughout your home’s water pipes and keeps it on standby. It is ideal for converting hot water on standby and can be used with both tank and tankless water heaters.
Now that we’ve cleared that myth let’s move on to the next one: do tankless water heaters save you money?
Myth 2: Tankless Water Heaters Saves More Money
Tankless water heaters are often believed to save you more money, but that’s not always the case. Certain factors, such as how frequently your household uses hot water and the number of fixtures using hot water, affect energy savings. The energy rating of tankless and conventional water heaters plays a role in determining the energy costs of operating your water heater.
A brand-new conventional water heater can have a higher Uniform Energy Factor (UEF) rating than entry-level tankless water heaters. Still, tankless water heaters have more options with high UEF ratings, which translates to energy savings. They cost more upfront than conventional water heaters by a few thousand dollars but can sometimes provide long-term energy savings.
When deciding between a tankless or conventional water heater, it’s essential to pay attention to the Energy Guide label to see which option offers the best annual energy savings.
There’s one more myth to debunk, and it’s about whether or not tankless water heaters need maintenance.
Myth 3: Tankless Doesn’t Need Maintenance
There’s a misconception that tankless water heaters are essentially maintenance-free. This is actually not true because tankless water heaters not only need maintenance but also benefit from it.
Scheduling annual tankless water heater maintenance can extend the lifespan of your system and provide preventative care from normal wear and tear. Flushing your tankless water heater can descale and help it maintain its water heating efficiency.
With proper care, your tankless water heater can last over 15 years, which is a few years longer than the average lifespan of conventional water heaters, which is 10 years. Still, maintenance is crucial to any water heater, whether it’s tank or tankless.
Tank vs. Tankless Water Heaters Myths Debunked!
Sometimes, you can run into conflicting information about tankless and tank-style water heaters when finding a new one for your home. After reading this article, you should have a clear picture of what is true and false about some popular myths about tankless vs tank-style water heaters.
Since 2007, we’ve maintained close relationships with some of the top brands in the water heater industry, like Rinnai and Noritz, to give our technicians top-of-the-line training. With training and on-field experience, we’ve been able to help homeowners all over Los Angeles and the surrounding areas find a water heater that best suits their home’s hot water needs.
If you want to see a more detailed breakdown of a comparison of water heaters, check out this article highlighting the similarities and differences between conventional, tankless, and heat pump water heaters. By exploring different water heating options, you can become one step closer to finding the right solution for your home.
