Water Heaters: Tankless vs Tanked

Water Heaters: Tankless vs Tanked

Are you thinking about installing a new water heater? Then maybe it’s time to replace your old storage tank model with a tankless water heater. Here’s what you need to know about tankless water heaters — and five signs that it might be the right choice for you!

How Does Each Water Heater Work?

Both systems heat water in two different ways. Here’s how they work:

Tank: a burner with 30-50 gallons burning at 40k BTU’s. This burns all day long so your hot water is ready when you need it.

Tankless: the heat exchanger slows water burning at 200k BTU’s and only heats water when you use it.

This gives you two different energy calculations…

Tank: 65% efficiency. For every dollar you spend, 35 cents is lost.

Tankless: 95% efficiency. For every dollar you spend, 5 cents is lost.

ROI

Depending on installation costs, a tankless model variance is approximately 12-15 years. Tanked water heaters really don’t calc at 25+ years – much longer than warranty. This brings us to the expected lifespan of each system. Longevity of a six-year warranty or 15-year warranty. A tankless water heater can last 20+ years, while a tank model can last 6-10.

Pros and Cons of Tankless

Pros

  • $125-$150 in savings per year
  • You gain space
  • Unlimited hot water
  • No tank so no ruptures or major water damage

Cons 

  • 3x the cost at installation
  • Service costs
  • Small amount of electricity needed for CPU

Why Choose Crystal Blue?

Crystal Blue looks at each application and takes the following into consideration:

  • How you use the hot water. We consider how many gallons are used, who uses it, and how long the water is typically used.
  • How long you plan to live in your current residence.
  • We help you consider the upfront costs compared to the savings over the tankless life expectancy. This allows us to calculate an accurate ROI.
  • We want to understand whats more important to you – energy costs or water savings.

If your current water heater needs work or you are interested in making the switch to tankless, call the experts at Crystal Blue. We’re ready to help you today!