Tankless Water Heaters and You | Tankless Water Heaters Fort Worth

There are more choices today in water heaters than ever before. Even old style tank water heaters are taking advantage of new technology to provide more energy efficiency. However, homeowners today are no longer limited to tank style water heaters where your only choice is gas or electric and improved energy efficiency or not. Today you have the additional options of solar, geothermal systems and tankless water heaters in Fort Worth.

Tankless water heaters are also referred to as on demand water heaters or instant water heaters. This is due to the operation of the unit. When you turn the hot water tap on, water is heated as it flows through the tankless water heater. Hot water is heated and provided as needed, eliminating the necessity of a tank style water heater to store heated water that is reheated repeatedly until used.

How They Work

Powerful heat exchangers are activated when water flows through the appliance, providing the steaming hot shower you want. Tankless hot water heaters are heated by electric coils or by a gas fired burner. Of the two, gas fired models will produce hotter water at a higher flow rate than electric models, making them the most energy efficient and productive.

Types Tankless water heaters in Fort Worth come in whole house appliances or point-of-use units. The tankless point-of-use hot water heater is small, easily hidden and typically provides hot water for a single location, such as a bathroom too distant from the primary water heater, or a poolside shower for example.

Whole house tankless hot water heaters are larger and are capable of operating multiple fixtures throughout the home.

Tankless Water Heater Advantages

Conventional tank style water heaters heat water and store it in a tank, when the temperature falls below the thermostat set temperature the water is reheated bringing it back to the set temperature. This cycle repeats itself, reheating water in the tank repeatedly, and using energy with each cycle. This energy loss is called standby heat loss. Tankless water heaters in Fort Worth eliminate this energy wasting cycle, heating hot water only when the tap is turned on.

According to the U. S. Department of Energy, tankless water heaters in households that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily can be 24% to 34% more efficient than a conventional water heater. Even large households that use a lot of hot water, up to 86 gallons per day will find tankless water heaters to be 8% to 14% more efficient than conventional water heaters. Tankless water heaters in Fort Worth also have the advantage of taking up less space and can be hidden completely from view if desired. This provides space for you to use in a different manner.

The point-of-use tankless water heater is great for those rooms so far from the main water heater that you experience lag time. Lag time is the time it takes for hot water to reach the tap. Lag time can be significant depending upon its distance from any water heater, and it wastes water. Those persons utilizing a bathroom at one end of the house and a hot water heater at the opposite end, can especially appreciate on demand point-of-use tankless water heater in Fort Worth.

A tremendous advantage of the tankless water heater is its service life, as much 20 years on some models. Typically, they have replaceable parts that extends the service life even further. This provides a huge advantage over conventional tank style water heaters with an average service life of 10 years.

Uses of Tankless Water Heater in Fort Worth

The tankless water heater provides the bonus of providing hot water wherever you need it without having to run water lines long distances and experiencing tremendous lag time. Common areas tankless water heaters are utilized are as follows:

• Remote bathrooms
• Hot tubs and Jacuzzi
• Outdoor kitchens or BBQ area
• Pool showers and cabanas
• Used in conjunction with solar water heaters to boost temperatures
• Home shops and garages
• Barns for care of livestock

While tankless water heaters in Fort Worth cost more upfront, over the course of its service life, the money saved on the cost of energy will pay for itself and save you money on energy.

Routine maintenance will extend the service life of the tankless water heater in Fort Worth and maintain it at peak performance.

Installation of the tankless water heater in Fort Worth is dependent upon local building code, climate, available gas pressure and the model required to adequately provide for your home’s need.

A gas fired tankless water heater in Fort Worth are Energy Star qualified. Currently, electric models do not provide the efficiency necessary to qualify.

Disadvantages

A tankless water heater isn’t for every household. Those that typically use a large amount of hot water, or run multiple hot water outlets at the same time will not benefit from the tankless water heater. For example, taking a shower while running the dishwasher will push any tankless water heater to the max and may not provide adequate hot water for your needs. You do have the option of installing a tankless water heater at every hot water outlet. This method can provide up to 50% increased efficiency over a conventional water heater. Unfortunately, most households would find the cost of doing so relatively high.

There are many factors involved in determining the size of tankless water heater your Fort Worth household will require, or if it would benefit from the technology. Examples of these factors are the number of hot water outlets to be supplied, your family’s hot water use habits (such as two people showering at once), and other factors.

Considering the number of factors, and the habits of hot water use by individual household members, your best source of determining your homes specific needs of hot water production are best met by a Benjamin Franklin Plumbing professional.

Our water heater specialists are licensed plumbers who are qualified to evaluate your home for the necessary criteria. Once this evaluation is provided we will be able to recommend the most efficient means of hot water production for your home. Our plumbers also take into consideration your potential to be satisfied with the use of a tankless water heater in Fort Worth, or other means of hot water production. Give us a call, we will be glad to help you.