WATER HEATERS: Do you wait longer for hot water when going tankless?

February 20, 2008

water heater tankless on-demand You will most likely go back and forth and debate the benefits of a tankless hot water heater over a conventional one in your remodel - many of us at GetWithGreen.com have during our remodels (we all went tankless ;-)).

The space savings will be a big draw for those of you living in smaller homes, and for some it will be the energy consumption of the tankless vs. a conventional model, or which one pays back faster? Tankless water heaters deliver hot water “on demand”, without storing it. They circulate water through burners or coils which heat the water. Therefore, a tankless unit never runs out of water in theory, but they do have limitations on flow should too many family members try to consume hot water at the same time - although design of your system should limit this.

One debate that rages on across the internet is the time you will be required to wait for hot water. Will a tankless get your hot water faster, or do you get it faster with conventional? The LA Times’ Pardon Our Dust blog posted one perspective on the topic, and we think it is a good quick read. The article is written by Bill Doering, and it outlines a little test he performed on his own to see which type of heater delivered hot water the fastest. On-demand water heaters: A homeowner’s experience