Do you need a tankless water heater?

Whole-home gas tankless water heaters in Spartanburg SC apply the same principle to heat water as standard gas water heaters, but without a storage tank. They save energy by heating water only when needed, eliminating energy lost during standby operation. When a hot water tap is turned on in the home, cold water is drawn into the water heater. A flow sensor activates the gas burner, which warms the heat exchanger. Incoming cold water encircles the heat exchanger and leaves the heater at its set-point temperature. Combustion gases safely exit through a dedicated, sealed vent system. By heating water only when needed, instead of maintaining a tank full of hot water at all times, tankless water heaters can achieve greater efficiency than standard tank-type water heaters.

An ENERGY STAR certified gas tankless water heaters in Spartanburg SC uses a secondary heat exchanger to use 9 percent less energy than a conventional gas tankless water heater. The secondary heat exchanger extracts more heat from the combustion gas, cooling it to the point where there is condensation – hence these types of heaters are called “gas condensing.” These gas condensing tankless water heaters, like gas condensing furnaces, require venting through a vertical PVC pipe and a condensate drain.

If it’s time to get a new water heater and you want to know if switching to a tankless unit will save you money in the long run, compare the yellow “Energy Guide” stickers on your current heater and the tankless model that best suits your needs. This sticker will give you a good idea of what you can expect. Then weigh in all the expense factors that come with going tankless, including venting costs and gas line or electricity upgrades. Once you know the total costs involved, compare this to the cost of a new tank model and then figure out your energy costs for each. The amount of time it will take to make back your money with your monthly savings is called the payback period. You should also consider that a storage tank heater will need to be replaced again in about ten years — you’ll get roughly 15-20 years of use from your tankless model.