You may be considering if you should switch from a traditional water heater and install one of these new Tankless water heaters, but are curious as to how they actually function compared to a traditional water heater. Here is a very basic breakdown of how they work.
Traditional water heaters work by filling up a tank, usually as small as 40 gallons and up to 80 gallons for residential use, and then heating the water in that tank using either a heating element for electric models or a burner and chimney for gas models. This allows for hot water to be available for use up to the amount stored in the tank. The downside is that your water heater has to constantly heat the water in the tank weather you are using it or not. While the tank is well insulated to minimize the need to reheat the water due to cooling, there is some inefficiency involved with keeping that much water hot. Also, once you have used up the water, you will have to wait for the water in the tank to heat back up.
“Ahhh, man! George used up all the hot water again!” Sound familiar?
Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, run water through a unit that utilizes a heat exchanger to heat the water until it reaches the desired temperature at which point it passes through and into the pipes of your home. The unit only heats water as it passes through and has no storage of water. Because of this they are often called “on demand” water heaters. This does make the tankless water heater more efficient than a traditional heater because it is not continuously having to heat a large amount of water sitting in the tank.
Is a tankless water heater right for your home?
Maybe.
There are a number of things to consider before deciding to purchase one unit over another, depending on what is most important to you. It’s not as cut and dry as it may appear.
That being said, most any Phoenix plumber will tell you that any city in the "valley of the sun" (also known as Phoenix, Arizona) such as Scottsdale and Glendale are ideal places for using tank-less water heaters. When used properly and when you are aware of tankless water heaters Phoenix pros and cons, they are a very good product that can serve your needs very well.
