Choosing between a tankless water heater and a traditional tank water heater involves considering several factors including efficiency, cost, space, and specific household needs. Here's a detailed comparison: ### Tankless Water Heaters: Pros: 1. Energy Efficiency: - Tankless heaters heat water on demand, meaning they don't have the standby energy losses associated with keeping water hot in a tank. This can result in savings of up to 30% on your water heating costs. 2. Space Saving: - They are significantly smaller than tank heaters and can be mounted on walls or in confined spaces, freeing up floor space. 3. Longevity: - Generally, tankless units last longer, potentially up to 20 years or more with proper maintenance, compared to 10-15 years for tank heaters. 4. Unlimited Hot Water: - As long as the unit is sized correctly for your household, you'll never run out of hot water since it's produced on demand. 5. Consistent Water Temperature: - Offers more consistent water temperature without the fluctuations you might experience with a tank. Cons: 1. Higher Initial Cost: - The installation cost for tankless water heaters is typically higher due to the need for larger gas lines or electrical upgrades and venting systems. 2. Flow Rate Limitations: - Only a certain amount of water can be heated at one time. If multiple water outlets are used simultaneously, you might experience a drop in water temperature. 3. Installation Challenges: - Requires specific venting for gas models, and might need professional adjustments for optimal performance. 4. Scale and Hard Water: - In areas with hard water, maintenance might be more frequent due to scaling, which can decrease efficiency over time. ### Tank Water Heaters: Pros: 1. Lower Initial Cost: - Generally cheaper to buy and install than tankless units. 2. Simplicity: - Easier to install in existing homes without major modifications. They work well for homes with predictable hot water needs. 3. Higher Flow Rate: - Can handle multiple hot water demands at once without temperature drops, due to the storage of already heated water. 4. Less Maintenance: - Usually requires less maintenance in terms of water quality issues like scaling. Cons: 1. Energy Inefficiency: - They continuously heat water to maintain temperature, leading to energy loss, especially if the tank size exceeds your household's needs. 2. Space Requirement: - Takes up considerable floor space, which can be a drawback in smaller homes or apartments. 3. Limited Supply: - Once the hot water in the tank is used up, you'll have to wait for it to reheat, which might be inconvenient during peak usage times. 4. Shorter Lifespan: - On average, they have a shorter lifespan than tankless models due to sediment build-up, corrosion, and other tank-related issues. ### Choosing Between Them: - Usage Patterns: If your household has high and varied hot water demands (like multiple showers at the same time), a tank heater might be better. For smaller or staggered use, tankless could be more efficient. - Budget: If initial costs are a concern, traditional tank heaters are more budget-friendly upfront. - Space: Tankless heaters are ideal if space is at a premium. - Long-term Savings: Tankless heaters might save money over time due to energy efficiency, especially in regions with high energy costs. - Future Planning: If you're looking to stay in your home long-term and value the longevity and efficiency, tankless might be the better choice. When deciding, consider not just the costs but also your lifestyle, the size of your household, and whether you're looking for short-term savings or long-term efficiency and convenience. Consulting with a professional plumber can also provide personalized advice based on your specific situation.
Gas Pipe lines can be very dangerous, your pipe could be plastic underground.
In Melbourne Florida and all over the nation, a Hot Water Heater Expansion tank services the purpose of protecting your hot water heater and water pipes from Thermal Expansion. Thermal Expansion occurs when hot water heats up and expands, just as in the car or truck the radiator needs an expansion tank as the fluid heaters up and needs more space from expansion. The Water Heater Expansion Tank as a rubber Blatter inside which needs to have the same PSI as the water pressure, use a tire gauge on top of the expansion tank to check the pressure. Factory air pressure on a new tank should be 39psi, if you have 55psi which is the standard pressure, the tank should match the same psi for the tank to maintain the space needed to allow for expansion. How to Check existing Expansion Tanks On existing systems the tank Blatter should be checked, if the Blatter is broken, the tank needs to be replaced. 1st Turn off the Electrical Power to the hot water heater 2nd Turn off the water supply. 3rd Drain down the water out of the system. 4th remove cap off of the expansion tank and check with a tire gauge the pressure on the expansion tank, if 39psi or greater, the inside blatter is in working order, increase the psi as needed to match the supply pressure. 5th turn on water and wait till all air is out of the system. 6th and final step is the turn back on the water heater electrical supply. Hot water heaters and water pipes will last a lot longer when the proper Expansion Tank is installed into a system weather it is a tankless system or a tank system, prevention is the safe pathway to less plumbing bills, plumbing emergencies, and plumbing water down time.
In Florida, Melbourne, and all over Plumbing fixtures such as hose bibs, Toilet fill valves, clothes washer machines, dishwashers, ice machines can damage your plumbing water lines by turning off the supply off too soon. Plumbing machine on/off valves cause a fast hammering effect on water lines which can push joints to their breaking points. Hose bibs with quick 90 shut offs can cause hammering effect as well, closing them slowly will prevent hammering effect. Machine valves such as Clothes washer valves should have Air Hammers installed next to valves to soften the hammer effect. Older homes often do not have them close to the valves, mostly on the main line relying on air in the upper chamber in the attic. Slamming sink faucets, kitchen faucets also cause damage and should be closed slowly to prevent hammering effect. There are Air Hammers adapters that can be added to the bottom of toilets between the fill valve and the supply line, as well as Hose bibs for clothes washer machines, sink supply lines and more.
Locating a Septic Tank can be very difficult to find, when there are no plans or clean outs.
Water jetting is the best way to really clean the pipes, prevent future cloggs and it may save an estimated repair.
Camera Inspection will save a lot of money and time, don't move in until you know the conditions of the sewer drain pipe for cast iron pipe.
Why is my toilet making noises and running water, if all of the parts are new?