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Upgrading to a tankless water heater is a great move if you’re the type of person who cares about the amount of energy and water they use, whether that’s for financial or environmental reasons. Before thinking about calling a plumber to install the upgrade, you’ve likely done a bit of research.

What you may have found out from that is they heat instantly, removing the standby energy loss that’s common with traditional water heater. More than that, they remove the need for a tank since all the water is heated directly. Here a few more things you may want to consider.

What Size Fits Your Needs 

Two aspects that are crucial for tankless water heaters to work are temperature rise and flow rate. For these two to be determined, you have to decide whether the water heater will be used for either the whole property or a designated space. When you talk to a plumber, they’ll be able to advise you on the size that can handle your needs.

By asking you about the needs of your home, professionals can better understand the needs of the property and factor in how much water you’ll need at once. In a family setting, for example, it’s possible that the dishwasher may be running at the same time someone is doing their laundry. Someone else may be in the shower within the same period of time. In a situation like that, a higher flow rate will certainly be needed.

If a home’s needs prove to be too much for a single water heater, the good news is that it’s easy to install multiple of them in a single house. This will help to avoid a drop in efficiency if there’s more than one water appliance or tap running. Tankless water heaters generally provide a flow rate of 3.5 gallons of hot water per minute, so a second one always helps when demand for hot water is needed.

That said, one usually suits the needs of most households in Arlington, TX. Of course, when it comes to getting an accurate picture of what you’ll need, nothing beats talking to a plumber.

A plumber will likely focus more on the usual water usage in your Arlington, TX, home.

Are You Getting Electric or Gas? 

When installing a tankless water heater, it’s also important to decide on whether you want one that is powered by gas or an electric one. You don’t have to be tied down by how the other appliances in your home are powered; a gas-powered tankless water heater still makes a great fit in a home with electric appliances.

Going with gas means you’ll need to have a plumber visit your home and see if your gas access is propane or natural gas. This step is not to be skipped since the tankless water heater you’re installing into your Arlington, TX, home may have different requirements from the one it’s replacing.

Something to remember is that tankless water heaters generally work best with natural gas. That shouldn’t be a big enough factor to put you off an electric one, of course, as those are very efficient, too. In some cases, the whole house’s electrical capacity upgraded for it to match the needs of a tankless water heater. This isn’t very surprising as water heaters, on average, account for 20% of energy use in homes.

For those without a gas connection, an electric option is the best choice for minimizing installation costs.

What You Will Be Using it For

When deciding on a model for a tankless water heater, you’ll have several options to choose from. To start with, there are single-point application water heaters. These are suited for use with a single appliance, which can be your washing machine, dishwasher or another appliance.

Other models you can choose from include thermostatic, whole-house outdoor use and whole house outdoor use and whole-house indoor use. The ideal model for you depends on the requirements of your Arlington, TX, home. As always, a plumber is best suited to advise.

How Much Energy Are You Planning to Save 

As a consequence of their design and construction, water heaters can help you to save energy, Starting off, they may cost you more than standard water heaters but you’ll certainly see the savings not very far down the line. If saving on your energy bill factors into your decision, getting one is certainly advisable.

At the same time, going for a bigger size than what suits your requirements can eat slightly into those savings, while being overall needless. Additionally, another one of their biggest benefits is that they’ll be a part of your home for longer than traditional water heaters since they also tend to last longer.

Talk to a plumber about your exact needs and specifications to get advice tailored to your situation.

Where Is Your Water Heater Installed? 

This consideration is important because it can help you to decide if you’ll be installing your tankless water heater in a different position. For starters, it can help you to understand if your upgrade, given the size a plumber has advised you that you’ll need, can go into the same spot as the old one.

Secondly, it can also help you to decide if you’ll be installing it in a totally different position. Why? If you’ve experienced problems with hot water taking too long to reach certain bathrooms, or if you’re finding yourself running out of hot water, installing the water heater in a different place can address those pain points.

Of course, this is something to discuss with your plumber as well for information that applies specifically to your situation.

A tankless water heater is an upgrade that comes with helpful features, and it might solve many of the hot water problems you may have been experiencing. If you’re in Arlington, TX, and need a tankless water heater installed, at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing we can provide a plumber who will seek to understand your needs and let you know what model suits you best.