We often advise our customers to look into a tankless water heater for their home the next time they’re searching for a new water heater, either to replace an aging one or as part of new home. People are often hesitant about choosing a gas-powered tankless water heater, and it’s only partially because they’re so accustomed to having a large storage tank system handle the task of supplying hot water to their households. The hesitancy is mostly due to a misunderstandings about how efficient these systems work. We’ll try a bit of mythbusting here about tankless water heaters.
The history of the tankless water heater
Although it’s easy to think of the technology of the tankless water heater as a new innovation because it has only recently started to spread through homes in the U.S., the first tankless water heaters were invented in the 19th century. However, they were simply no competition for the storage water heaters of the time when it came to energy efficiency. In fact, the storage water heaters of those days were more efficient than current storage water heaters because of their thick copper and nickel alloy construction. However, this construction made them prohibitively expensive.
Tankless water heaters continue to limp on as a “not-that-great” alternative to standard water heaters. For many years, the tankless water heaters on the market were crude, broke down often, and could rarely meet the demands of most families. Unfortunately, this gave the tankless water heater a sour reputation that sometimes still follows it.
But the modern water heater has gotten rid of all those misfortunes of older models. Today they have superior efficiency than storage water heaters, require fewer repairs, and can last from 15 to 25 years! Don’t make the mistake of believing old news when you are hunting for a new water heater: tankless is one of the best options around, especially gas-powered units.
Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. offers tankless water heater services in Orlando, FL.