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InspectAPedia ® Home WATER HEATERS AGE of WATER HEATERS AIRBOUND HEAT SYSTEM REPAIRS ALTERNATIVE HOT WATER SOURCES ANODES & DIP TUBES on WATER HEATERS ANTIFREEZE for BOILERS ANTI SCALD VALVES APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS AQUASTAT CONTROL Functions BACKDRAFTING HEATING EQUIPMENT BACKFLOW PREVENTER VALVE, HEATING SYS BACKFLOW PREVENTER, HEATER WATER FEEDER BACKUP HEAT for HEAT PUMPS BLEVE EXPLOSIONS BOILERS, HEATING CARBON MONOXIDE - CO CHECK VALVES, WATER SUPPLY CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS in WATER CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPING CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING DEBRIS in WATER SUPPLY, Water Heater DRAIN a WATER HEATER TANK ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS FLOODED HEATING EQUIPMENT REPAIR FLOODED WATER HEATER REPAIR FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING FROST HEAVES, FOUNDATION, SLAB GALVANIC SCALE & METAL CORROSION GAS BURNER Flame & Noise Defects GAS FIRED WATER HEATERS GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS HEAT TAPES, Heat, Insulation prevent Freeze-Up HEATING COST FUEL & BTU Cost Table HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS HEATING SYSTEMS HOT WATER SUPPLY HOT WATER IMPROVEMENTS HOT WATER DELIVERY SPEED UP HOT WATER EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT HOT WATER PRESSURE EXPANSION RATE HOT WATER PRESSURE LOSS HOT WATER PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS HOT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS INDIRECT FIRED WATER HEATERS MANUALS & PARTS GUIDES - HVAC MIXING / ANTI-SCALD VALVES NO HEAT - NO HOT WATER: HEATER DIAGNOSIS NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE NOISE CONTROL for HEATING SYSTEMS NOISE, PLUMBING CHECKLIST NOISE, WATER HEATER ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS IN WATER PIPING IN buildings, Clogs Leaks Types PLASTIC HEATER VENT PLUMBING FIXTURES, KITCHEN, BATH PLUMBING VENT DEFECTS & NOISES PUMPS, CIRCULATOR PUMPS, HEAT PUMPS PUMPS, OIL BURNER PUMPS, PONY PUMPS PUMPS, SEPTIC PUMPS PUMPS, SEWAGE EJECTOR / GRINDER PUMPS PUMPS, SUMP PUMPS PUMPS, WATER PUMPS PUMPS, WATER REPAIR RANGE BOILERS RELIEF VALVE LEAKS RELIEF VALVES - TP Valves on Boilers RELIEF VALVES - STEAM TP VALVES RELIEF VALVES - Water Heaters RELIEF VALVES - Water Tanks SAFETY, HEATING INSPECTION SCALE REMOVAL, WATER HEATERS SEWER GAS ODORS SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS SOOT on OIL FIRED HEATING EQUIPMENT SPILL SWITCHES - Flue Gas Detection TANKLESS COILS TANKLESS WATER HEATERS THERMOSTATS, HEATING / COOLING THERMOSTATS, WATER HEATER TIMERS for ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS VALVES, PLUMBING WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS WATER HAMMER NOISE DIAGNOSE & CURE WATER HEATERS WATER HEATER ALTERNATIVES WATER HEATER ANODES, DIP TUBES WATER HEATER AIR INLET WATER HEATER DEBRIS FLUSH WATER HEATER DRAIN PROCEDURE WATER HEATER EFFICIENCY WATER HEATER FLUSH PROCEDURE WATER HEATER NOISES WATER HEATER PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS WATER HEATER PROPERTIES WATER HEATER SCALE - De-Liming Procedure WATER HEATER SCALE PREVENTION WATER HEATER SAFETY WATER HEATERS for HOME HEATING USE? WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE WATER PIPES, Clogs Leaks Types WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR WATER PRESSURE PUMP REPAIR GUIDE WATER PUMPS, TANKS, TESTS, WELLS, REPAIRS WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE WATER PURIFIERS WATER QUALITY TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS WINTERIZE A BUILDING More Information |
Guide to Converting to a Tankless Water Heater: this article explains the conversion from conventional hot water heaters to use of tankless water heaters, also called instant water heaters or "on demand" water heaters. We discuss how to answer the question of whether or not you should convert from a conventional tank-type water heater to a tankless or demand or POU type water heater. Our page top photo illustrates a Takagi tankless water heater. Be sure to also review Tankless Water Heater Installation & Costs where we discuss installation, operating, replacement & maintenance cost comparisons between a demand type or tankless water heater and a conventional tank type water heater. Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman. Should I Convert my Hot Water Supply to a Tankless Water Heater?
The original text of this article was provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates - that text has been adapted and edited and may not entirely reflect CD's views. Page top sketch of a point of use tankless water heater courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates. Our OPINION is that readers looking for plenty of hot water heated efficiently should also consider the heater we describe at Indirect-fired Water Heaters. Sketch of a point of use tankless water heater shown at left was provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates. OPINION: Most of us are familiar with the traditional-style water heater - that big thirty- to sixty-gallon tank taking up space in the basement near the furnace or boiler. These water heaters have served us well with few improvements for decades, but a different breed of water heater has been in use for many decades in Europe and Latin America, and has seen less widespread but growing popularity in the U.S. - the tankless water heater. Sketch of a point of use tankless water heater (at left) courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates. The energy-conscious world in which we live has turned its attention to the water heaters of old and has identified two potential areas of improvement. The first is that traditional water heaters are not very efficient at converting the energy in fossil fuels into hot water. Over the last twenty years, furnace and boiler technology has improved the efficiency of home heating, but water heaters have not kept pace, even though the same technology can be applied. The second possible improvement that can be made to water heaters has to do with the storage of hot water. Traditional water heaters use fuel to heat water inside the tank. If the water is not used, it cools to the point that it must be heated up again.
This is not a problem in the winter, when the heat loss from the water heater helps keep the building warm. It is a challenge in the summer, when the building is already warmer than we want. Tank-type water heaters can increase air conditioning costs. As the name suggests, tankless water heaters have no tank, and therefore no storage capacity at all. When the faucets and fixtures in the home are sitting unused, the water heater is dormant. When somebody turns on a hot water faucet, the tankless heater swings into action. These units use more powerful burners than conventional water heaters to heat relatively small amounts of water. The result is that the water is heated much more quickly than in an older system and this hot water can be immediately delivered to the fixtures. A significant advantage of this system is that you can't empty all of the hot water out of the tank because there is no tank - just continuous hot water. Also, since there is no tank, the water heater itself is much smaller. In most cases, these units are wall-mounted, so we not only do we have improved efficiency, reduced fuel costs, and unlimited hot water, but more free space in our basements! While this all sounds good so far, there is a reason that everybody isn't switching over right away. List of Possible Costs (including hidden costs) Involved in Converting to a Tankless or Demand Water HeaterConventional water heaters, due to their simplicity, are relatively inexpensive, while tankless water heaters are more expensive to purchase. The complexity of taknless or demand type water heaters also means that maintenance and repairs can be more expensive as well, and while tankless units have been in use around the world for many years, the rapidly evolving technology and our cold climate means that we don't have a great idea how long the typical life expectancy will be in North American homes, though the U.S. DOE estimates 20 years.[15] When it comes time to change your water heater, that's a good time to consider converting from a tank type water heater and a tankless or demand system. Watch out: as we advise at Tankless Water Heater Installation & Costs, the economic picture of going tankless may not be as rosy as portrayed, moreso depending on the typical hot water daily usage rate and the total building hot water flow rate that you expect to need in the building or home. As we advise in that article, if saving water heating cost or return on investment is the principal reason you are considering converting from a conventional hot water tank to a tankless, demand type water heater, you should perform total cost analysis that reflects an accurate and unbiased comparison between the total costs of replacing (or installing new) a tank type water heater and a tankless or demand water heater. Be sure to include these cost factors in your analysis:
... Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)... Ask a Question or Search InspectApediaQuestions & answers or comments about benefits of installing instant or demand or point of use water heaters. Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below. Technical Reviewers & ReferencesRelated Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
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