Choosing A Tankless Water Heater

Choosing A Tankless Water Heater

Tankless water heaters aren’t right for everyone, but a lot of people are making the switch and loving it! You can read our post here on the benefits of tankless water heaters and how they can save you money. If a tankless water heater is the right fit for you, you can save yourself tons of money on your utility bill each year! Today we’re going to talk about choosing a tankless water heater so that you can make the right selection for you and your family!

There are several things to consider when thinking about purchasing a tankless water heater for your home- fuel type,  demand, and purpose.

Fuel Type

Tankless water heaters can be electric or gas. If you’re going to purchase an electric tankless water heater, you have to consider voltage, amperage, and your circuit breaker.

  • Voltage- Most units sold will accomodate 110V, 208V, 220V, and 277V.
  • Amperage- Different units will have different requirements. Make sure you can support the electrical demands of the unit you choose.
  • Circuit breaker- Make sure you have a circuit that will support an electric water heater. You may have to put your water heater on its own circuit.

If you’re going to purchase a gas tankless water heater , there are also a couple of things to consider.

  • Gas type- You need to determine if your gas type is natural or propane. Make sure you have thoroughly checked out your current gas line to determine whether or not it meets the requirements of the new water heater you plan on buying. The requirements of your new gas tankless water heater may exceed those of your old water heater.
  • Venting requirements- Venting is very important and these requirements should not be overlooked. Make sure to purchase Category III stainless stell (UL1738 certified) venting for your new gas tankless water heater. Type B venting accessories are not ok! Its also a good idea to check out your local building code for any specific needs. Some tankless water heater manufacturers sell gas venting kits. While these kits are handy, make sure you’ve checked out the specific installation requirements for the tankless unit you’ve purchased to ensure that kit will meet all your needs. There are many things to consider when installing a gas tankless water heater such as the vent route, where the discharge will go, access to air for combustion, etc.

Demand

When you’re choosing a tankless water heater, its a good idea to think about how many fixtures you’re trying to heat water for. Are you looking for a unit to heat water for just one sink? A whole bathroom? An apartment? A whole house? You may need to do some research on the typical flow rates for all the fixtures you are going to be heating water for.

Purpose

When shopping for a tankless water heater, you may have a specific purpose or need in mind. Here are some examples of the most common purposes and which model may work best.

  • Single Point Application- This is when only one fixture (one sink, one shower, a washing machine, etc.) will need to have water heated by the tankless water heater.
  • Thermostatic- A thermostatic tankless water heater boosts the temperature of the water if it has cooled off due to a long pipe run or for sanitation purposes. These units are great if precise temperature control is needed.
  • Whole House Use- Large tankless water heaters are designed to heat water for whole houses where many fixtures will need hot water.

choosing a tankless water heater

For more information on choosing a tankless water heater and installation, contact us today at (678) 822-7095! At Masterflo Plumbing, we’ve got the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to help you make the best choice for your family!

What Is A Tankless Water Heater?

What Is A Tankless Water Heater?

We’re willing to bet you’ve heard of a tankless water heater before, but do you really know what it is? Tankless water heaters are gaining in popularity and come with some great benefits.

A tankless water heater provides hot water as it is needed instead of holding on to a bunch of hot water that isn’t needed (which costs you extra money). Its a similar concept to running the heat in your home during the winter- if you aren’t home you don’t run it. If you don’t need the hot water, don’t heat it up. This simple concept can save you tons of energy and money on your utility bill. You can read more about the energy efficiency of tankless water heaters at Energy.gov.

Tankless water heaters work by heating water directly as opposed to heating up a stored tank of water. When a hot water faucet is turned on in your home, cold water travels through a pipe into the water heater unit. Tankless water heaters can be electric (an electric element heats the water) or gas (a gas burner heats the water).

Tankless water heaters provide hot water at a rate of 2-5 gallons per minute. While this is a great rate, some tankless water haters can’t keep up with the demand for hot water in a large household. To circumvent this problem, you can install two or more tankless water heaters to keep up with demand. Since you’re not paying extra money to heat water that isn’t needed, the only additional cost to you is the initial cost of the water heater. You can also install tankless water heaters that are designated for certain appliances.

Don’t get stuck without hot water or high energy bills this winter! Call Masterflo Plumbing today for your brand new tankless water heater at (678) 822-7095!

tankless water heater

 

 

Water Heater Wednesday: Water Heater Installation

Water Heater Wednesday: Water Heater Installation

Today we’re going to talk about why its so important to hire a professional for your water heater installation. DIY and money saving hacks are trending these days, but when it comes to your water heater installation, hiring a professional is a must. If you need to install a hot water heater, its so tempting to just Google it and try to follow a YouTube video and do it yourself. To make sure that your water heater is installed correctly and that it performs correctly and efficiently, its absolutely necessary to hire someone with experience.

Here are a few reasons why its important to hire a professional plumber for your water heater installation:

Size

Choosing the correct water heater for your home may sound like an easy task, but in reality it involves some advanced calculations about the flow rate and temperature rise that you will need for your home. You might also need to take into account information about the peak hour demand and the number of people who regularly use hot water in your home. If done incorrectly, these calculations can result in you purchasing the wrong hot water heater for your home. A professional plumber who has lots of experience working with these complicated calculations will be sure to get it right and get you the correct hot water heater the first time around. If the calculations are done wrong and you end up with a unit that is too small, you may find yourself lacking hot water on a regular basis. On the other hand, if you end up with a unit that is too large, you may use unnecessary energy, costing you more money up front and on your monthly bills.

Mess

Hot water heaters can be very large and complicated to install. If you don’t have experience installing a hot water heater, you could be in over your head. Professional plumbers know how to safely remove your old hot water heater and dispose of it, so you don’t have to think about it or have it sit around in your garage while you find a way to dispose of it. A professional plumber will also get your new unit safely installed and can ensure that your new tank fills properly and doesn’t leak into your home and foundation.

Less Maintenance

If you have your new hot water heater properly installed the first time around, chances are that you will need to repair it far less frequently than if it gets installed incorrectly. A professional plumber can make sure that all the valves are working properly, the heating element is functioning, and that there will not be any leaks! As long as you have your new hot water heater professional installed by a skilled, experienced plumber, you can rest assured that you won’t have to do any early repairs.

If you need a professional plumber for your water heater installation, contact the professionals at Masterflo today at (678) 822-7095! We’ll be there anytime, any day, to help you pick the correct unit and install it!

 

 

Water Heater Wednesday: Tankless Water Heaters

Water Heater Wednesday: Tankless Water Heaters

Today is our final installation of our mini series on tankless water heaters! If you haven’t been following along, make sure to check out our past posts! You can read about what a tankless water heater is and how it works, the benefits of tankless water heaters, and selecting a tankless water heater.

We’re going to wrap up the series today by running through some facts that will sum up just how awesome tankless water heaters are!

First let’s talk about hot water usage:

  • 18% of your average utility bill accounts for water heating
  • water heating is the 2nd highest energy expense in the average home
  • the average shower uses 10 gallons of hot water
  • the average load of laundry uses 7 gallons of hot water
  • the average dishwasher cycle uses 6 gallons of hot water
  • including appliances and faucets, the average home uses 64 gallons of hot water each day

Moving right along to longevity:

  • a conventional hot water heater lasts approximately 8-10 years
  • a tankless hot water heater lasts approximately 25-30 years

And on to speed and efficiency:

  • a conventional hot water heater may take awhile for the water to heat up
  • a tankless water heater heats water on demand
  • a conventional hot water heater wastes hot water when you run the faucet
  • a tankless water heater can provide unlimited hot water
  • a tankless water heater is up to 34% more efficient than a conventional hot water heater because it heats water as you need it

And finally on to cost:

  • a tankless hot water heater saves you at least $100/year over a conventional hot water heater
  • with a lifespan of 30 years, that’s at least $3,000 in savings

 

We hope you’ve learned something from our mini series on tankless hot water heaters. Remember, for all your hot water heater needs, call Masterflo Plumbing at (678) 822-7095!

 

 

Water Heater Wednesday: Tankless Water Heaters

Water Heater Wednesday: Tankless Water Heaters

Last week on Water Heater Wednesday we talked about the benefits of tankless water heaters and how they can save you money. Today we’re going to talk about selecting a tankless water heater.

There are several things to consider when thinking about purchasing a tankless water heater for your home- fuel type,  demand, and purpose.

Fuel Type

Tankless water heaters can be electric or gas. If you’re going to purchase an electric tankless water heater, you have to consider voltage, amperage, and your circuit breaker.

  • Voltage- Most units sold will accomodate 110V, 208V, 220V, and 277V.
  • Amperage- Different units will have different requirements. Make sure you can support the electrical demands of the unit you choose.
  • Circuit breaker- Make sure you have a circuit that will support an electric water heater. You may have to put your water heater on its own circuit.

If you’re going to purchase a gas tankless water heater , there are also a couple of things to consider.

  • Gas type- You need to determine if your gas type is natural or propane. Make sure you have thoroughly checked out your current gas line to determine whether or not it meets the requirements of the new water heater you plan on buying. The requirements of your new gas tankless water heater may exceed those of your old water heater.
  • Venting requirements- Venting is very important and these requirements should not be overlooked. Make sure to purchase Category III stainless stell (UL1738 certified) venting for your new gas tankless water heater. Type B venting accessories are not ok! Its also a good idea to check out your local building code for any specific needs. Some tankless water heater manufacturers sell gas venting kits. While these kits are handy, make sure you’ve checked out the specific installation requirements for the tankless unit you’ve purchased to ensure that kit will meet all your needs. There are many things to consider when installing a gas tankless water heater such as the vent route, where the discharge will go, access to air for combustion, etc.

Demand

When you’re choosing a tankless water heater, its a good idea to think about how many fixtures you’re trying to heat water for. Are you looking for a unit to heat water for just one sink? A whole bathroom? An apartment? A whole house? You may need to do some research on the typical flow rates for all the fixtures you are going to be heating water for.

Purpose

When shopping for a tankless water heater, you may have a specific purpose or need in mind. Here are some examples of the most common purposes and which model may work best.

  • Single Point Application- This is when only one fixture (one sink, one shower, a washing machine, etc.) will need to have water heated by the tankless water heater.
  • Thermostatic- A thermostatic tankless water heater boosts the temperature of the water if it has cooled off due to a long pipe run or for sanitation purposes. These units are great if precise temperature control is needed.
  • Whole House Use- Large tankless water heaters are designed to heat water for whole houses where many fixtures will need hot water.

Join us next Wednesday for our final installation of our mini series on tankless water heaters!

 

Water Heater Wednesday: Tankless Water Heaters

Water Heater Wednesday: Tankless Water Heaters

Last week we talked about what a tankless water heater is and how it works. Today we’re going to discuss some benefits of tankless water heaters and how they can save you money.

Because of the way a tankless water heater works, it can be installed in a tight space, unlike a traditional water heater. This saves you a lot of space and is less of an eye sore. Also, since tankless water heaters deliver hot water on demand as opposed to storing hot water, they can save you a ton of energy. Another benefit is that they generally last twice as long as traditional water heaters as long as they are properly maintained.

 

Tankless Water Heater Comparison
(graphic from Compact Appliance)

Another great benefit of a tankless water heater is the amount of money you can save! Your up front cost for the purchase and installation can range anywhere from $2,000-$4,000. The price will depend on the size you need and which model you choose. Though initially this may sound like a lot of money, looking long term a tankless water heater will make up this cost and save you extra. Within two years, a tankless water heater will begin to pay for itself because of how energy efficient it is. The average home uses around 41 gallons or less of hot water each day. Based on this number, tankless water heaters can save you up to 34% more energy each day. A properly maintained tankless water heater can last more than 20 years….that’s a lot of savings!

Next week on Water Heater Wednesday we’ll talk about selecting the right tankless water heater for your home!

If you need help selecting or installing a new tankless water heater or maintenance help with your current tankless water heater, call us today at (678) 822-7095!

 

 

Water Heater Wednesday: Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless Water Heaters

 

This Wednesday we’re going to begin a mini series on tankless water heaters. Today we’re going to talk about what a tankless water heater is and how it works.

A tankless water heater provides hot water as it is needed instead of holding on to a bunch of hot water that isn’t needed (which costs you extra money). Its a similar concept to running the heat in your home during the winter- if you aren’t home you don’t run it. If you don’t need the hot water, don’t heat it up.

Tankless water heaters work by heating water directly as opposed to heating up a stored tank of water. When a hot water faucet is turned on in your home, cold water travels through a pipe into the water heater unit. Tankless water heaters can be electric (an electric element heats the water) or gas (a gas burner heats the water).

Tankless water heaters provide hot water at a rate of 2-5 gallons per minute. While this is a great rate, some tankless water haters can’t keep up with the demand for hot water in a large household. To circumvent this problem, you can install two or more tankless water heaters to keep up with demand. Since you’re not paying extra money to heat water that isn’t needed, the only additional cost to you is the initial cost of the water heater. You can also install tankless water heaters that are designated for certain appliances.

 

Next week, we’ll talk about more benefits of tankless water heaters and how they can save you money!