San Diego Tankless Water Heaters
Are you considering switching to a tankless water heater? ASAP Drain Guys & Plumbing is your San Diego expert for water heaters, and tankless water heaters in particular. If it’s time to replace your old heater, it’s the best time to switch to tankless.
Traditional home water heaters use a large tank, usually 30 to 100 gallons, and have a thermostat to keep that water at a set temperature. When you use hot water it draws from the tank and is replaced by cold water. The heater doesn’t turn on until the tank temperature drops. If you’re using a lot of water, its temperature will drop, perhaps too low, and it can take a while for the tank to heat back up.
Although they’ve actually been around quite a while, “new” tankless units use a high-powered heater to warm as it flows through. It heats only the water you use, when you use it. As we’re about to see, there are numerous tankless water heater benefits, including tankless water heater tax credits as well as tankless water heater installation and maintenance.
Tankless Water Heater?
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Benefits
- Never run out of hot water
- Water is always the same temperature
- Lasts 5 to 10 years longer than traditional water heaters
- More efficient, using 20 to 50% less energy (that’s as much as 10% off your total utility bill!)
- Take less space, can be put under cabinets for instant hot water
- They’re a great back-up for solar, and in some cases can even increase your solar hot water system’s efficiency.
There are a few factors you should know about besides the tankless water heater benefits. A tankless heater can cost as much as 3 times that of a traditional water heater and have a maximum flow rate. Also, at very slow flows (typically around 1/4 that of a low-flow showerhead) the heater doesn’t turn on.
Installation
Electric water heaters are cheaper to install, but more expensive to operate so you’ll need to think about those costs combined when choosing the energy source. Energy guide stickers are a great help with this. Gas tankless heaters often require special vent tubing, and a whole-house unit may require a larger gas line. Installing a new tankless heater at the same location as the old traditional one can reduce installation labor costs to about the same as a regular replacement.
It’s crucial that a tankless unit is properly sized to meet the flow rates of all hot water uses that may occur at the same time. Our experts can help you choose a unit that’s just right for your situation.
Tankless Water Heater Podcast
Maintenance
Tankless heaters should have annual maintenance. That’s true for traditional heaters as well, but the special characteristics of tankless units make it even more important. First, there’s a filter screen that needs to be cleaned from time to time. Also, tankless heaters are more sensitive to scaling, which lowers their efficiency and leads to break downs. An annual flushing and descaling is needed, and doing it right requires many steps using special chemicals and equipment.
But don’t worry, with inexpensive water heater maintenance, these units are highly reliable and last 5 to 10 years longer than traditional heaters.
About ASAP Drain Guys & Plumbing
We’re your San Diego experts in tankless heaters from Navien, Rinnai, and Takagi, for maintenance as well as installation. We’re also experienced in the broad range of products from AO Smith, Bradford White, and Noritz, and stand ready to maximize your benefits and help with those tax credits.
ASAP Drain Guys & Plumbing is dedicated to technical excellence and friendly service. We’re certified, licensed, and fully insured. We’ve been in business 15 years, and our fleet of 30+ fully equipped trucks are ready to help 24/7.
