Tank vs. Tankless Water Heaters

11/02/2015

Your water heater is one of the hardest working appliances that you own. Don’t believe us? Think about how many times a day you use hot water. If you’re anything like the rest of the country, you probably use hot water at least 3–5 times a day. Every time you do, you’re relying on your water heater to provide you with the hot water you need. That makes choosing the right water heater for you a pretty important decision. Let’s take a look at your options for water heaters, and the pros and cons of each.

Tank Water Heaters

These are the most common type of water heater in the country, characterized by a large storage tank that constantly keeps the water inside heated. Tank water heaters are operating 24/7, keeping a large amount of water heated at all times in case it is needed. There are a number of advantages to this, mainly that you always have water immediately available. It’s also harder to overwhelm this type of water heater with demand. The downside is that these water heaters waste a lot of energy throughout the year keeping water heated when it isn’t being used.

Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters, obviously, don’t use storage tanks. Instead, they turn on only when needed, heating water as it flows through them. When demand subsides, a tankless water heater turns off until it is needed again. Tankless water heaters are more energy efficient, and take up far less space, than tank water heaters. However, there is also a slight delay between turning on the hot water in your home and actually getting hot water. Tankless water heaters are also easier to overwhelm if there are too many people using one at once.

If you’d like to know more, call Rooter Man. We provide water heater services throughout Schenectady, NY.