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What Does it Mean to Have “Hot Water On-Demand?”
“Hot water on-demand” sounds great, right? When you need hot water to take a shower or wash dishes, you want all the hot water available to you in that moment. This is the benefit promised with today’s tankless water heaters (including the Infiniti® Series from Bradford White).
With an appropriately sized tankless water heater, you have virtually no limit on the amount of hot water available to you. You have a continuous, endless flow of hot water for as long as you need it, so you won’t run out of hot water in the middle of a shower ever again.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how “on-demand” hot water works and why many homeowners are having tankless water heaters installed.
How Tankless Water Heaters Work
As the name implies, tankless water heaters do not have a tank. They are compact units that are typically wall-mounted, which can save you significant floor space wherever your water heater is located.
When you turn on a hot water fixture, a sensor in the tankless water heater detects the flow of water and turns on the powerful burner to instantaneously heat your water as it passes through the heat exchanger. On a tankless electric water heater, heating element(s) activate and heat water as it flows through.
As cold water flows through the tankless water heater, it is instantly heated to your desired set temperature. This heated water is then sent to your fixtures, providing a continuous stream of hot water. This flow will continue indefinitely without any real limit on how much hot water you can use.
The hot water is essentially endless, so you can stay in the shower as long as you wish. The tankless water heater only turns on when hot water is needed, so they are remarkably energy efficient.
Advantages of a Tankless “On-Demand” Water Heater
As you’ve read, tankless water heaters offer some compelling advantages for homeowners:
- Endless Hot Water: The obvious benefit of a tankless water heater is that you’ll never run out of hot water. As long as the water heater is properly sized for your needs, you can take multiple long showers in a row and you will not run out of hot water.
- Significant Energy Savings: Because there’s no storage tank to keep hot and no standby heat loss, tankless water heaters may significantly lower your monthly energy bill. Over the life of the water heater, those savings can really add up.
- Space-Saving Design: As mentioned, the tankless water heater will take up significantly less space than a tank water heater. Since the tankless unit is typically mounted on a wall, you’ll save valuable floor space.
Possible Drawbacks to Tankless
- Higher Upfront Cost: Because it’s a more complex unit, tankless water heaters are typically more expensive than tank water heaters. However, federal tax credits and local utility rebates can help lower this cost. Check here for rebates in your area.
- Regular Maintenance Needed: Tankless water heaters require routine maintenance. Scale can build up in tankless water heaters which can affect performance and efficiency. During an annual maintenance visit, your plumber will descale the unit, clean filters, and check valves. If you have mineral-rich “hard” water, descaling may be needed more frequently, such as every 6 months.
- Flow Rate Limitations: While the hot water is theoretically endless, it is limited by the unit’s capacity. If your household’s simultaneous hot water demand exceeds what the unit can deliver, multiple units may be needed to fit your demand. That’s why it’s critical that your tankless water heater is properly sized and installed by a plumbing professional. Don’t have a plumber? Search here to find a Bradford White professional in your area.
The bottom line is that tankless “on-demand” water heating offers some significant advantages. With a tankless water heater, you’ll have an endless supply of hot water and potentially a lower utility bill every month!
Bradford White offers a range of on-demand tankless solutions, including our Infiniti® tankless gas water heaters and Kwickshot® electric point-of-use units, which can provide hot water to a specific sink anywhere in your home. Ask your trusted plumbing professional about Bradford White’s tankless water heaters to determine if a specific model is the best choice for you.