Most people in Hastings and Stillwater grew up in a home with a traditional storage-tank water heater. These units are also known as traditional or conventional water heaters. They come in various tank sizes ranging from 30 to 60 gallons for the average house, with the most common being the middle-of-the-road 50-gallon tank. So somewhere in your childhood home, there was a large tank, maybe even five feet tall and a few feet around, that was responsible for making the hot water for your household. So what is the difference between tankless water heaters vs storage water heaters?
The more modern option is called a tankless water heater. And while these are not brand new to the market, they are far less common than the storage-type water heater. These devices are also called on-demand water heaters because that is the way that they function. There is no storage tank. Instead, the water is only heated when it is needed. With the creation of the hot water being so very different from one type of water heater to the other, many consumers want to know how they stack up against each other.
The Difference Between TANKLESS WATER HEATERS VS STORAGE WATER HEATERS
THE COST TO PURCHASE AND INSTALL
You can purchase name-brand traditional 50-gallon water heaters in gas or electric configurations for $550 to $600. If you are using a licensed plumber for the installation, you will add from a few hundred dollars to around $600 to $800 if there is extensive replumbing required. In contrast, the tankless water heater is going to be more costly. A few are in the $600 price range but expect to pay around a grand for a name-brand unit. The installation will also be more as the replumbing will be extensive and can include changing the venting. The cost will start at about $800 and easily break the $1,200 point for installation alone. The last piece of information to note is that the life expectancy of the traditional water heater is around a decade, while the tankless unit is about two decades, so that helps to justify the added cost to purchase and install the unit.
THE OPERATING COST
The big claim to fame for the tankless water heater is that it functions more energy efficiently because it is not using power to maintain a tank of hot water 24/7. But the average numbers are not as impressive as you might expect. A traditional gas water heater costs around $250 a year to operate, while the tankless counterpart came in at near $200. The electric conventional water heater will set you back about $600 for a year of hot water, while going tankless will save a few bucks and come in at around $525.
THE BIG PERK
If you love lingering in a long hot shower, the tankless water heater could win you over with its unlimited supply of piping hot water. As long as you have the shower running, it will continue to generate hot water, unlike the limited capacity of a storage-tank water heater.
To learn more about the pros and cons of each water heater, call 612-340-1444 to speak to the experts at Paul Bunyan Plumbing And Drains.
