We do a great deal of work with many types of water heaters, and the gas-powered tankless water heater is one that we often recommend to our customers. The technology of heating water for a home without a tank has existed for a long time, but it wasn’t until the last few decades that it became practical and effective. Now it the technology is so effective that tankless units have become the major residential water heating system in Europe and are growing in popularity in the U.S. all the time.
We field many questions about tankless water heaters on the job. We’d like to address a specific one here, which is whether gas-powered tankless systems present any household danger.
Any gas-powered system requires some caution
Because the majority of tankless systems run from natural gas, they have the same concerns as any gas powered system: there is the potential for carbon monoxide leaking. However, in this way a tankless system isn’t different from a storage tank water heater that runs on gas. Provided you schedule annual maintenance for your water heater, you shouldn’t experience any problems with it.
In general, tankless water heaters are safer than storage tank water heaters
Aside from the concern about carbon monoxide, a tankless water heater is a very safe piece of equipment. Because there is no tank which can overheat or experience a massive spike in pressure, a tankless system doesn’t have the danger of bursting or exploding. A tankless system is also a safer device to have with children around. Tank systems can grow hot on their exterior and often have open flames. Tankless water heaters do not have any of these issues, and they don’t use pilot lights. Many of the best quality water heaters have overheating sensors that will quickly shut down the heat exchanger if the heat rises too high.
The short version: If you’re concerned about your family’s safety with a water heater, then you should install a tankless one.
Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. provides tankless water heater services for Winter Springs, FL. We are now in our 40th year!