Pros and Cons of Tankless Water Heaters

SAN RAMON — If your water heater needs to be replaced, you may be considering switching to a tankless model. However, while a tankless water heater certainly has its advantages, it’s not necessarily a good investment for every home. Before making a decision, it’s important to learn about the pros and cons of tankless water heaters.

Pros
The biggest selling point for tankless water heaters is the fact that they can provide an endless supply of hot water. Unlike a conventional water heater, which can only provide as much hot water as its tank holds, a tankless model has no such limits. However, while endless hot water may sound great, it’s simply unnecessary for many homeowners. If you don’t use a lot of hot water to begin with, a tankless water heater’s capabilities won’t bring many benefits.

Of course, there are scenarios where a tankless water heater makes sense. It can be great if you have a large Jacuzzi tub in your master bathroom or if you have a big family and are constantly running out of hot water. However, if your old water heater has never given you such problems, your life likely won’t be much different with a tankless model.

Tankless water heaters also offer superior energy efficiency. On average, they perform at 98 percent efficiency—far better than their conventional counterparts. Due to the reduction in energy waste, a tankless water heater is better for both the environment and your bank account.

Cons
While a tankless water heater can save you money on your utility bills, it tends to be an expensive investment at the outset (about three times as much as a traditional water heater installation). Not only are the units themselves pricey, the installation can cost more, as switching from a conventional model often requires modifications to your existing plumbing. For example, you may need to install a larger gas supply valve and modify the ventilation.

Another disadvantage of tankless water heaters is the fact that they’re complicated to work on. Most plumbers can work on conventional water heaters, but it takes factory-trained technicians to work on tankless ones. For this reason, a tankless water heater is generally more expensive to maintain and repair.