Which Water Heater is Right for You?

Whether you’re building a new house or upgrading your existing house or business, you might be debating which type of water heater to get. There used to be one option, a traditional tank style, with a few size options; but today you have choices.

While there are more variables (fuel type, firing method, etc) we’re just going to break down tank vs tankless today.

There are a few big differences between the two styles, namely footprint, cost timing, and supply limitations.

A traditional tank water heater is larger, but less expensive and generally has a more straightforward installation. Since it constantly reheats stored water, your energy costs will be a little higher. All of the water stored in the tank is available immediately, so you can run multiple taps, but when it’s gone it’s gone until the tank refills. 

A tankless water heater has a small footprint and usually mounts right to the wall, but is more expensive for both the appliance and installation as it can require new lines or venting due to the different setup. However, it uses less energy and can last twice as long before replacement, so you can recoup those costs. Water is heated on demand so you’ll technically have unlimited hot water, but it can only reliably supply one faucet at a time. So if you want to take consecutive showers forever, you can, but you can’t shower while running the washing machine.

To put it simply...

You may want a tank style water heater if you:

• Don’t have space limitations where it will be installed

• Want a less expensive startup cost but don’t mind spending a little more each month

• Need to supply multiple faucets at once

A tankless water heater may be the right choice if you:

• Need a small installation footprint

• Don’t mind spending more upfront to spend less over time

• Need unlimited hot water but only at one faucet at a time

If you need help figuring out which water heater is best for you, or if you’ve made a decision and are ready to move forward with the project, call us to schedule an appointment and let’s get your hot water up and running in style.