A Tankless Water Heater means no tank to store hot water. These water heaters are in huge demand nowadays due to their lower space requirements and higher energy efficiency.
In India, we call a tankless water heater an Instant Water Heater, available in a range of 3-5 liters capacity.
You might be wondering why I am mentioning the capacity when there is no tank at all. We will find the answer to this question and numerous other queries in this article.
What Is Tankless Water Heater?
In a tankless water heater, there is no water tank. The water gets heated when it passes through the heat exchanger in the water heater. It is called an on-demand water heater, as you will get hot water when required.
It is also called an Instant Water Heater, as you will get hot water almost instantly. Traditional storage water heaters take around 10 minutes to give hot water. An instant water heater does not have any space to store hot water.
Tankless water heaters are energy efficient, consume less space, and provide instant water. That is why these are preferred among consumers.
How Does Tankless Water Heater Work?
When there is a demand for hot water, water passes through the heat exchanger of the water heater and gets heated. The heater unit sensor will only activate when it senses the water flow.
How much water your water heater can heat depends on the flow rate. For example, when we talk about a 3-liter instant water heater, it can heat up to 3 liters of water per minute. It does not have anything to do with storing water.
Tankless water heaters are powered by either electricity or gas. Gas is preferred if you want to use multiple outlets for hot water. However, the initial investment is more for gas water heaters.
Benefits Of Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters offer a bunch of benefits, as shown below.
Energy Efficient
You get hot water when you need it. It does not heat up and store hot water. So, there is no water wastage, and power consumption is also optimal.
There are no standby energy losses associated with keeping a large tank of water hot all the time.
Occupy Less Space
Tankless water heaters are typically smaller as there is no water storage tank. So if you run short of space, tankless water heaters are the best option as these occupy less space.
Instant Hot Water
You will get hot water almost instantly, whereas storage water heaters take about 10 minutes to give hot water.
How much hot water per minute tankless water heaters can supply depends on the flow rate of the unit. The higher the flow rate, the more hot water per minute.
Powerful Heating Element
Since tankless water heaters offer instant hot water, they use high-power heating elements typically in the range of 3000- 4000W. Traditional water heaters use a 2000W heating element.
Please remember that high-power heating elements consume more electricity too. That is why tankless water heaters are good for day-to-day chores like washing dishes, hand washing, or taking baths using buckets.
Installation
Installation is easy as tankless water heaters are small and can be tucked anywhere. If you opt for gas-powered tankless water heaters, then you may need to call a trained technician to do the job for you.
Maintenance
All water heaters require regular maintenance. However, you may not need to service tankless water heaters as frequently as storage water heaters.
Since there is no tank, scaling formation is limited, and so are the other issues. Heating coil burnout could be more frequent in tankless water heaters. Overall, tankless water heaters are a good choice in terms of maintenance.
Cons of Tankless Water Heaters
The limited flow rate could be a concern for many. If you want to use multiple faucets at the same time, you may end up getting cold water in many outlets as the flow rate is limited.
You may opt for a high-flow rate tankless water heater, but that will cost you almost the same as a storage water heater.
The initial set-up cost is also a concern, especially if you plan to use gas to power your water heater.
Conclusion: Tankless Water Heater
Tankless water heaters are a great choice if your usage is not that high. These are energy efficient, provide instant water, and can be installed anywhere.
Sometimes, these benefits can be outperformed by storage water heaters if the individual requirements do not comply with the requirements for a tankless water heater.
