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The Minnesota Homeowner’s Complete Guide to Tankless Water Heaters

Pros and Cons of Tankless Water Heaters: A Complete Guide

When you have a tankless water heater, you never run out of hot water. Plumbers with Dean’s Home Services install hundreds of energy-efficient, tankless water heaters into homes in the Twin Cities are of  into homes in the Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN area every year! Rather than storing gallons of heated water in a tank, this compact unit heats water as you need it. This means that at any given time, there’s a ready supply of hot water. But do these benefits come with downsides? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of tankless water heaters.

Woman taking shower

What are the benefits of a tankless water heater?

A tankless water heater has a lot of advantages.

  • The big one is limitless hot water. Whether you’re taking a shower or doing a load of laundry, you can always get warm water. This is especially helpful if you have many people living in your home.
  • Tankless water heaters are also very energy efficient. That’s because they don’t store gallons of hot water. Instead, they only heat water as you need it. This means that tankless water heaters use less energy than standard storage water heaters.
  • They also take up very little space and leave a very small carbon footprint compared to traditional tank water heaters.
  • Another big advantage of having a tankless water heater installed by Dean’s Home Services is the rebates that Dean’s will file on your behalf. (We also file permits and many manufacturer warranties are voided if not installed by a licensed plumber)

What are the cons of a tankless water heater?

One disadvantage of using a tankless water heater is that it’s more expensive upfront than a conventional tank heater. While it’s true that tankless water heaters use less energy than standard water heaters, it’s not always obvious how much less. This is just one of many reasons it’s important to use a professional plumber. If you don’t install a tankless water heater correctly, it could use more energy than a traditional water heater.

How do tankless water heaters work?

Like standard water heaters, tankless water heaters use gas or electricity to heat up water. The big difference is that they don’t store the heated water. Instead, they release the water as soon as it reaches the right temperature. That’s why these water heaters are sometimes called “demand-type” water heaters. When you turn on a faucet in an area with a tankless water heater, water passes through a heating unit. This unit uses gas or electricity to heat up the water. While it’s heating up, the water sits in a pipe. That pipe then feeds the water to your faucet. The water only sits in the pipe for about a second before it goes through a pressure regulator. The regulator ensures that it’s the right pressure for your faucet.

water heaters installed by Dean's Home Services

How much gas does a tankless water heater use?

The amount of gas that a tankless water heater uses varies. That’s because a lot depends on factors like the unit’s size, flow rate, and gallons per minute (GPM). However, on average, a tankless water heater consumes around 0.8 to 1.1 GPM. That’s around half as much as a traditional water heater.

Overall, a tankless water heater is a great choice for your home. However, you have to make sure that you install it correctly. If you don’t, you could end up using more energy than you should. If you’re wondering if a tankless water heater is right for you, look into local rebates and contact Dean’s Home Services Plumbing to determine if a tankless water heater is right for you.

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