May 17, 2012

Tankless Water Heaters and Plumbing

With so much information about tankless water heaters and the benefit, Kevin Shaw of Kevin Shaw Plumbing a professional plumbing company, recently wrote a great article about if even tankless water heaters are good.

Regardless of what type of water heater you choose for your home, sometimes it is not the product, but the person who installs it that is important. That is why you need to find the right water heater contractor in your area. Please feel free to submit your project on this site and we will find the right company for you.

Vacation Homes and Tankless Water Heaters

Making the switch in your vacation home from a traditional water heater to a tankless water heater just might be a very good move. You might find that this switch could make a significant contribution to reducing the costs of maintaining and operating your vacation home, to saving water and money on your water bill, and to protecting your investment in the property. Vacation homes and tankless water heaters are actually excellent partners.

Everyone has heard stories of people opening the door of their vacation home, expecting a relaxing stay, only to discover a minor flood somewhere in the house. A leak in your primary residence will probably be noticed before much damage is done – because you are there and you would know if something went wrong. A leaking hot water heater in a vacation home could do serious damage before it was noticed.

Many families with vacation homes rent or loan them out to family, friends and co-workers. Every time someone uses your vacation home, you provide instructions about how to turn everything on and how to start up the hot water heater. If the unit is electric, this is a fairly simple matter. But if you have a gas water heater, the procedure is a bit more complex. When guests leave your vacation home, you probably ask them to turn off the hot water heater – then you cross your fingers and hope they do so.

Installing tankless (instant) water heaters in a vacation home eliminates the whole start up and shut down process and protects your property from water damage that could result from a leaking hot water heater. It also gives you peace of mind. You can be more confident that your investment in the property is safer.

The use of tankless water heaters in a vacation home will also conserve water and energy. There will be no extended period of running water and waiting for the hot water to reach the tap. There will also be no need to continuously heat a large amount of water to a standard temperature when it might not be needed for quite some time.

Heating only the amount of water you need at only the time you actually need it is a perfect way to provide hot water in a vacation home. In the process you can also protect your vacation paradise from the risk of an unexpected small flood.

Why Tankless Water Heaters Make Sense

Tankless water heaters are also known as instant water heaters. These units make sense for homeowners for several reasons. In vacation homes they can be very desirable. Here are some of the main reasons why tankless water heaters make sense as opposed to the traditional water heater.

1. Tankless water heaters conserve energy. Traditional water heaters have a tank that is constantly filled with water. The traditional water heater provides hot water in your home by constantly heating the water in the tank to maintain it at a set temperature. Tankless water heaters work differently. Tankless units heat water by activating a set of coils that become hot when the unit is turned on. As the water passes over the coils, it is heated. The temperature set on the control determines how hot the water will be when it comes out of the tap and, thus, how hot the coils become and how quickly the water moves across the coils. Tankless water heaters conserve energy by only heating the amount of water needed at a given moment and by heating the water only when it is needed.

2. Tankless water heaters are perfect for vacation and second homes. When you are not staying in a second home or a vacation home, it is always wise to turn off any appliances and utilities not in use. This saves money and protects your property. Use of tankless water heaters in these second homes eliminates the risk of a leaking water heater tank, eliminates the cost of leaving the water heater running when the house is not in use, and eliminates the long wait when you do use the house while the gallons and gallons of water in the tank reach the desired temperature.

3. Tankless water heaters are a perfect idea when water must travel from one end of the house (where the hot water heater is located) to the other end of the house (a second or third bathroom). If you are serious about conserving water, consider the amount of water used when you run water waiting for the hot water to reach the tap you are using. If there is only a short distance between the water heater and the tap, you might not waste a lot of water. But if the water must travel to the other end of the house, you could waste a large amount of water and you might find that the water cools somewhat as it passes through the pipes. A tankless water heater provides instant hot water at the desired temperature.

If you are a homeowner interested in conserving water, conserving energy, or protecting your investment in a second home or a vacation home, you might want to consider installing tankless water heaters.