Question of the Day... "To go Tankless or Not" ????

It seems that Brian has been getting TONS of questions about going "Green" which we so very much support... the question of the day is: Should I go Tankless ??? So Brian has written in detail his thoughts on that... which you will see below... PLEASE feel free to give Falcon Plumbing a call at 802-878-0077 if this does not answer any of your question.. or you might have more question... We care about this Earth and want to help all we can to save it :)

Brians words..
We are excited to be involved with the newest technologies pushing the instantaneous hot water heaters. If you want to “Go Green,” a tank less hot water heater is for you. They will save you money on gas used for heating hot water. No tank means that you only heat the water you are going to use so there is no wasted money heating water that cools down just “sitting” there. There are some important considerations that you need to consider when making this leap to being “Green.” Read on to see if a tank less, instantaneous hot water heater is what is going to fit the needs of your residence.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. There are a few negative aspects of these water heaters that you, the consumer, may not like but are part of the package and can’t be avoided. First is the gas supply needed to heat a lot of water real fast. If you have an existing hot water heater that is supplied with propane or natural gas there is a very high probability that the gas pipes supplying the new instantaneous hot water heater will need to be increased in size. In technical terms, a normal hot water heater burns around 50,000BTU per hour of heat to heat the tank of hot water. The tank less hot water heaters have to heat the water much faster and thus can burn over 200,000BTU per hour, or roughly four times the amount. Many times the gas supply pipes need to be increased all the way back to the meter or propane regulator on the side of the house to account for the increase in gas demand at any given moment. This can add significantly to the cost to convert from a “standard” hot water heater to an instantaneous one.

Second negative is a thing we call flow rate. Flow rate is exactly what it sounds like, the rate of flow from the hot water heater. In order to get a steady flow of consistent hot water from an instantaneous hot water heater the water needs to be in contact with the flame for a certain period of time. The colder the water is, the longer it has to stay in contact with the flame to get to the desired temperature. Instantaneous hot water heaters slow the flow rate of the water down according to how cold the water is. Here in Vermont , and more specifically Chittenden County , most of us receive our water from Lake Champlain . During five to six months of the year the lake temperature hovers around 40F or below. At these temperatures the flow rate drops to around 2 gallons per minute, or below in some cases. Now this is fine for a single source of hot water being used but may be an issue, especially in older homes, if two sources are being used at the same time, such as a shower and kitchen sink. In these situations someone will have a sudden, or at least pronounced, drop in hot water flow. This can be rather unsettling if you are the one taking the shower and the hot water keeps fluctuating. This can be eliminated by adding a second hot water heater, but now you have roughly doubled the cost of the installation and there may not be the return on your dollar that you are hoping for.

Third and last negative is service. Instantaneous hot water heaters are a relatively high tech piece of equipment that have many parts that can, may and will fail. When they fail they of course will require a service call to get it running again. Even the best units can be difficult to service due to the amount of “stuff” they pack into the boxes that house them. Some calls will be quick, but an equal number of calls can be lengthy resulting in a significant bill at the end.

So enough of the negatives. There are also many great things about instantaneous hot water heaters. Let’s give them some very careful considerations as well and then you can decide if it will be a good fit for your residence.

First and certainly foremost positive is the “Green” factor. These units will save our precious natural resources, specifically natural and propane gas. There is just so much gas out there and when it’s all used up we had better have a plan B. Since plan B is still trying to be found, we have to conserve as much of our resources as possible and these are an excellent way to do that. The units are considerably more efficient than a standard hot water heater and, as a result of the higher efficiency, add far less greenhouse gasses to the environment. Greenhouse gasses produced by human consumption of fossil fuels, particularly gas, coal, and oil, are contributing to the current global warming crisis that is plaguing our planet. Any thing we can do to help curb this is certainly worth doing.

Second positive is a direct result of the first. Using less gas will lower your gas bill. Since you heat only the water you need at the time, there is no wasted money spent heating water you are not going to use. This is especially true if you are gone for long periods of time. Though you can turn a regular hot water heater off to conserve energy, most of us do not. The cost to keep a hot water heater hot can add up very quickly. With an instantaneous heater, no gas is used at all while you are away. Now that is what we call a savings.

Third is space savings. These units take up a fraction of the space a hot water heater does. In our shrinking homes, and as we collect more “stuff,” space can become a real issue. These units hang on the wall, freeing up a considerable amount of floor space. They can easily fit inside a closet and even fit inside a cabinet. In Europe , it is quite common to find them in a kitchen cabinet, covered by a cabinet door.

Another benefit, if you install multiple units close to bathrooms, washing machines, kitchen’s etc., the amount of time it takes to get hot water to the faucet when you first turn it on is cut dramatically. This will also save on your water bill if you are like most of us and let the water run waiting for the hot water to travel from the hot water heater, normally in the basement, to your faucet. In some homes, you can use up to two gallons of water just to get hot water to the faucet each time you do this. Again, this wastes our precious water resources that are just as important, if not more important, than out gas and oil supplies.

Another positive is the use of these in the many camps that are here in Vermont . These are an excellent way to provide hot water instantly upon arriving to your camp and they winterize very easily as well. There are a some that mount to the outside of the camp and subsequently don’t need to be vented (good only in warm weather applications).

And then there are the rebates available from the gas companies and government agencies for going green. Each company and agency offers different incentives to install these, too varied and numerous to inform in this format. If you do some leg work, however, you may find that there is a significant amount of money saved or “given back” for installing one of these.

Finally, if you are adding an addition such as a mother-in-law appartment or an addition with plumbing to your house, these are an excellent way to supply hot water to the new area. All you need to do is run a cold water line to the new area and install the instantaneous hot water heater. If it happens to be an appartment that you are renting, the gas used can be seperatly metered and billed to your tenants.

So in conclusion, in the right situation these water heaters are a great way to “Go Green” and save a few dollars in the process. There is a negative side to them that needs to be weighed with the positives to determine if they are a good fit for you and your needs. If you have further questions give us a call or ask one of our trained technicians. We at Falcon Plumbing Service are here to answer all of your plumbing and heating questions and concerns.