Best Tankless Hot Water Heater - 5 Simple Steps

The rising cost of gasoline, food and just about everything else is starting to have an effect on pocketbooks. Some estimates put hot water at about 20 - 25 percent of home utility costs. So any savings here are significant. How big these savings are depends on several factors that, in turn, depend on you. If you are in the market for a hot water replacement consider that a tankless hot water heater may be the best choice.

What goes into finding the best choice

1) Those living in the sunny south have an advantage in this first point - Colder winters mean heaters have a bigger job heating water to a useful temperature, say 110 F degrees. For any type of water heater this could mean raising water temperature as much as 70 F degrees. This takes a lot of heating power but fortunately with tankless water heaters this is only called for when the faucet is on.

2) Water use - How many faucets to you have running at one time? Using multiple outlets at the same time means more water heated on demand. You should make some estimates of this because it is a big factor in determining the best tankless hot water heater to fit your family’s needs. A bucket and a watch is about all it takes to find the gallons per minute flow rate that your tankless water heater will be required to generate.

3) How much you pay for gas or electric - Power varies by state or locale. For example eastern seaboard states have some of the highest rates for gas and lowest for electricity. Natural gas consumption is higher in northern states, while electric use is higher in southern states.

4) Getting the most from the system - Long pipe runs mean heat loss. It pays to insulate pipes wherever you can access them. The most effective hot water heating solution could be to have multiple heaters. In fact, mixing gas and electric could be the most economical answer.

Passively heating water before it reaches the tankless hot water heater is an excellent way to cut heating bills. If your current tank is in a warm part of the house, replacing it to an uninsulated tank so it can work to preheat water.

5) Installation - You’ve picked the best tankless hot water heater and now your are ready to know hat it takes to install one. Gas tankless hot water heaters are the most expensive to install. There are specific requirements for venting that call for stainless steel ducts, although some are mounted outside to eliminate this expense. Fresh air to the combustion chamber is important to prevent CO2 from escaping. Larger size gas pipe will probably be needed. Instillation costs can easily match the cost of the heater.

Electric tankless water heaters are much simpler. If you have difficulty finding a qualified installer or think you have the skills to do plumbing and wiring then a how-to book and the manufacturer’s installation guide should be enough to get you through it. Check to be sure that the electrical panel has the capacity to handle the 80-120 amps that an electric tankless water heater will draw.

The best tankless hot water heater is one that meets the measurements we talked about and energy efficient hot water for a long time.

Refer to this site for detailed installing a tankless water heater instructions.

Follow this link for more info on choosing the best tankless hot water heater

Installing Tankless Hot Water Heater Facts

If you are installing a tankless hot water heater in your residence, you are making a big step towards home energy efficiency. Few measurers can yield a return on investment as quickly as replacing standard residential hot water heater with one of these new energy saving models.

It takes only a few steps to find the unit that is right for you. If you haven’t decided whether gas or electric are more suitable, here are a few tips:

Electric tankless hot water heaters are about the size of a PC. They require heavier wiring and multiple, high amp circuit breakers. Plumbing can be done with flexi-pipe and common copper pipe.

Gas tankless water heaters are about twice the size of an electric and require no special electrical work. They do require a properly installed gas line and an exhaust vent, similar to a furnace. The units cost about twice as much to buy and install as an electric. Newer models are designed with ignition systems for greater efficiency. Some with flow sensors or remote activators.

Electric tankless water heaters can be a do-it-yourself project for those with a wire stripper, pipe cutter and a few tools found in any toolbox. A how-to book should get you through the wiring and plumbing, which are very basic. You should be sure that you circuit panel is adequate for the load that the tankless water heater will require - usually 80 to 120 amps. Buy online and install yourself, and you can expect savings of 50 percent.



For the southern half of the U.S., eighty amps are usually enough for a residence where a shower and one faucet will be in use. There are measurements, found on the manufacturer’s website, that can help you better determine the right unit for your needs.

Installation costs for tank and tankless models should be about the same but energy savings will make a big difference. Manufacturer‘s claims vary from 25 to 90 percent. A great deal depends on variables like ground water temperature, daily usage and distance from unit to shower. Large houses may need multiple on-demand water heaters set up in zones.

Units that have water flow and temperature control allow you to fine the efficiency of your tankless water heater.

Look for tax credits and rebates from your local utility.