Best Replacement Option For Residential Water Heaters

A home’s water heater is one of the most used appliances. For those that have a tank unit, these will turn on and off throughout the day to maintain ideal water temperatures that are ready when requested. While we don’t think about these machines very often, we certainly do when they stop functioning. Whether you got the cue, it was time for repairs or replacements when your shower quickly turned cold, or you had a family member alert you to the problem; it might be an excellent time to shop for a new appliance.

While you might be looking for the best water heaters on the market, you must also consider whether or not you should stick with a conventional tank unit or upgrade to a tankless unit. If you’ve not seen a tankless water heater, you aren’t alone. These nifty appliances, while have grown in popularity, still haven’t succeeded tank water heaters for the most popular option for replacement. But they are getting closer.

Tankless water heaters provide one very incredible advantage that a tank unit can’t, and that is unlimited hot water. Many hotels and commercial spaces use tankless water heaters because of this reason. They never have to worry that customers, patients, or guests will run out of hot water while keeping operating costs down.

That’s another great benefit with tankless, the cost-saving perks. Because it only turns on when you request hot water, it isn’t running throughout the day, which saves on energy expenses. Tank water heaters have tried to mimic such cost reduction with the installation of an energy-efficient thermostat, but it will never compare to the efficiency of a tankless setup.

It might seem like the tankless water heater has it in the bag for being the best solution for replacement, but it isn’t that easy of choice, not for most homeowners anyway. The cost of a tankless unit and installation far exceeds that of a traditional water heater. Your technician needs to have experience with setup, as it isn’t as simple as a disconnect or the old and putting in a similar unit. The tankless option can be mounted anywhere, and typically the closer to the fixture, the better.

Tankless is an excellent option for anyone looking for an energy-efficient way to supply their homes with unlimited hot water. But with merely replacing a tank unit with another tank unit, you can expect to pay significantly less out of pocket. A new electric unit can cost anywhere from $600 to $800, whereas to install a new tankless setup, the bill could run anywhere from $1500 to $2000. That’s a massive difference in cost and one that many homeowners may shy away from, especially if it is an unplanned expense.

It can’t be predicted when a water heater will fail, but most are good for over ten, sometimes 20 years with proper care. Often the cause of a loss of hot water can be something simple like a burnt-out heating element, clogged tank, or something as easy as a non-functioning thermostat. Before throwing in the towel and replacing your heater, consider its age and energy-efficiency. If the unit is only a few years old, it can make more sense to repair versus replace. However, if the unit is leaking water, there’s a hole in the tank, or other serious problems arise, consider a more energy-saving replacement for your home.