Water Heater Installation and Repair New Albany-Columbus Ohio
What is the Difference Between a Tanked and a Tankless Waterheater?
Replacing a water heater is one of those home repairs that costs a lot more than one might think and can break, seemingly out of nowhere. When in the market for a new water heater, shoppers are faced with two main choices: tanked water heaters or tankless water heaters. Both types of water heater can be powered by electricity, gas or even solar power. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of systems and choosing the right one for you is dependent on your budget and your needs.
Tanked Water Heaters
A tanked water heater is the most common type of water heater and what most generally think of when they think of a water heater. These are less expensive than tankless water heaters, but due to the nature in which they operate, they cost more to operate over their lifetime.
With a tanked heater, you have, as the name implies, a tank that is constantly full of water. This water is also constantly kept hot so as to be ready whenever someone in the home needs hot water. Convenient, however that means that energy is being wasted during all those times you do NOT need hot water, as this type of water heater will keep the water hot whether people need it or not. This adds up to a lot of wasted energy and thus wasted money in the long-run.
Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters work completely differently than traditional water heaters. One of the first things people will notice about this kind of heater is the price tag. They tend to cost quite a bit more than a traditional water heater. However, they do not continuously keep water hot and thus cost less to operate over the long haul.
A tankless water heater, obviously, has no tank. Water is not stored and kept hot at all times. Rather, these systems have point of service hot water. Boilers that heat the water are directly under each water source (though whole home units exist) and the water is brought to temperature right before it exits the faucet.
Both tanked and tankless water heaters have their benefits and downsides. Understanding the differences in initial costs, as well as the lifetime operating cost of each system can help one make a more informed decision as to which will best meet their needs.
The time to replace a water heater is before it goes bad. A good gas water heater will last 10-15 years. A good electric water heater could last up to 20 years. To extend the lifetime of the water heater it should be drained one a year to remove sediment. This is a service Best Plumbing can provide.
Best Plumbing will repair all makes and models of water heater in Ohio!