Which Water Heater Should You Get?

If your current hot water heater is on its last legs, you are likely wondering what type of water heater you should buy to replace it. You can either get a traditional hot water heater or a tankless model, both of which have their own pros and cons. Here are some of the things that you should consider before you make a final decision. 

Endless Hot Water

A traditional hot water heater will heat water and store it in a tank, which uses energy to keep the water hot so that you can use it on demand. It is possible for a hot water tank to be drained of all its hot water during times of heavy usage. For example, if many people are showering in the morning and the water in the tank becomes cold. The only way to prevent this from happening with a traditional hot water tank is to get a bigger one that holds more water, and then uses more energy to keep the water warm.

A tankless hot water heater, however, never runs out of hot water, since it heats the water on demand as people use it. This helps ensure that nobody ever runs out of hot water in the home. The one drawback to a tankless hot water heater is that it can only produce so much hot water at one time. You may not have problems if a few people are showering in your home, but if you combine that with a washing machine, dishwasher, or another shower, you may run into issues where the water isn't as hot as it could be. 

Space Efficiency

A factor that many people don't put much thought into is the amount of space taken up by their hot water heaters. Traditional tanks are quite big, and will take up a lot of room in a utility room or a closet. You may simply be used to the size of a hot water tank and do not even think much of it, because it has always been there. 

A tankless hot water heater will take up much less square footage in your home than a traditional one. This can help you get back some additional room that can be used for storage, since it really does take up a fraction of the space. 

Reach out to a plumber for more information about water heater installation for both types.