Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters have been in use in Europe and Asia for over 50 years, but just recently have they become more popular in the United States. Water Heaters Only, has been factory trained and certified by the manufacturer to install their water heaters.  In our experience, they are not for every home, but can provide endless hot water and save space. Our customers have been very pleased with there new water heating system we installed. Call one of our water heater experts to help you decide if tankless is an option which would work best for your household.

Endless Hot Water

Tankless water heaters heat water on demand, thus they do not run out of hot water. This type of water heating system can be useful for large families or for homes with larger hot water demands - for example homes with a soaking tub or spa system are often good candidates for a tankless system.  If you are unsatisfied with your current water heater, consider converting to a tankless water heater system.  While traditional storage water tanks are compared based on gallon capacity, recovery rate and first hour rating, tankless hot water heaters are compared based on flow rate.  As long as the home uses hot water at a flow rate below the tankless heater's maximum flow rate, there is endless hot water.  Important to note: Tankless units do not provide instant hot water as hot water still takes time to flow from the unit to the destination. If you are interested in instant hot water call and ask one of our experts about recirculation systems. Depending on the configuration of your plumbing.

Energy Efficient

Tankless water heaters on average will save 20% to 40% on energy use compared with storage tank type water heater. The most efficient tankless water heaters have a 92%-95% efficiency compared to a traditional gas storage tanks that operate at a maximum 62% efficiency. Tankless units typically operate at over 80% energy efficiency.  Tankless water heaters save most energy because water is not constantly heated, cooled and re-heated like within a storage tank.   

Space Saver

Tankless water heaters are much smaller and are more versatile for installation. You can even hang them on the wall or locate them outside and they are about 1/4 of the size of a tank type water heater, this can free up space inside your home or garage. 

Long Life Expectancy

If maintained properly tankless water heaters can sometimes last twice as long as a traditional storage tank.  Average life expectancy of storage tank water heaters is approximately 8 to 12 years.

Rebates and / or Cash Incentives

Currently there is a 30% or up to $1500 tax credit available for the purchase and installation of gas tankless water heaters with an energy efficiency of .82 or greater.

Also check incentives with your local energy company, Pacific Gas and Electric, Southwest Gas, and Southern California Edison offer some type of energy saving rebate or incentive as well. In many cases your local city may also offer incentives for tankless and other high efficiency water heating systems. 

Sizing a Tankless Water Heater

In our experience flow rate is the most important factor in sizing your tankless water heater.

Tankless units heat water on demand (when you open your faucet) unlike traditional storage tanks that heat when the tank temperature drops below a set point. Tankless water heater sizes are measured by their per minute flow rate rather than by their gallon capacity.   

Most tankless water heater manufacturers offer several models to meet different flow rate needs.  Flow rates for most major brands range from four to eight gallons per minute. Typically, the smaller four to five gallon per minute water heaters are suitable for smaller apartments and small one bathroom homes.  For single family residences with two bathrooms or more, we strongly recommend installing a six to eight gallon per minute unit. These tankless water heaters are designed to service two or three applications at the same time.  For very large homes, restaurant or other commercial applications there are many other options including installing multiple tankless units in series.

Installation and Pricing

Cost to install a tankless water heater varies greatly.  We must perform an onsite estimate in order to determine the total cost and feasibility of converting to a tankless system. Generally the installed costs range from $2,000-$4,500 and may include some of the following:

• Installing or rerouting water piping.
• Installing dedicated power to the unit (backup battery systems area available in case of power failures, at your request)
• Running a dedicated gas line to the tankless water heater per manufacturer requirements. 
• Install category III stainless steel venting or power vent the exhaust to the outside.