Traditional Water Heaters Vs. Tankless Water Heaters

While a number of homeowners have switched to tankless water heaters to save on energy bills and storage space over, there are certain benefits to tank vs tankless water heaters based models. In choosing a new water heater, you might be thinking to choose between traditional and tankless and of course, it’s your choice to pick which one best suits your needs within the home. Like most major home improvement decisions, there are certain advantages and disadvantages to each choice. Malek Service Company is here to help you make the right decision for you.

So which water heater is better? Tankless or traditional?

Well, that’s for you to decide. Like most purchases, there are trade offs. To make an educated decision, we’ve created this buyer’s guide to help you:

• Understand the differences between tankless and traditional water heaters
• Learn the pros and cons of tankless and traditional water heaters

What’s the difference between a traditional and tankless water heater?

A traditional water heater stores and preheats 30-50 gallons of water in a tank. That preheated water is used whenever someone showers, does the laundry or washes dishes. The tank then refills to be reheated once again.

A tankless water heater uses a heat source (electric or gas) to warm up cool water on-demand whenever you need it rather than storing hot water in a tank.

Pros and Cons of Traditional Water Heaters

Pros:

• Lower initial cost – A traditional water heater installation can be half as much as a tankless water heater.
• Easy and inexpensive to replace – Less installation complications means that there’s less that can go wrong.

Cons:

• Higher utility bill – They heat and reheat water at a pre-set temperature regardless of your water needs. This increases your utility bill—especially during the winter winter.
• Bigger and harder to place – They occupy more room and can’t be placed outside.
• Can run out of hot water – Ever been the last in your family to get the shower? It’s a chilling experience. This problem can be avoided by purchasing a larger tank (although that will be more in energy costs, as well).
• Shorter life – Lasts 10-15 years. This means there’s more turnover and therefore you have to buy them twice as often as a tankless water heater.

Pros and Cons of Tankless Water Heaters

Pros:

• Saves money in the long run 
• Doesn’t take up much space – They are small and can be installed in more places.
• Lives longer – Lasts 20+ years. Almost double a traditional water heater’s life.
• Delivers hot water on demand – Provides two to three gallons of hot water per minute on demand.

Cons:

• Higher initial cost – (depends on the model and who you get it from).
• Retrofitting adds to upfront cost – Replacing a traditional water heater with a tankless system is more complicated. So that increases the installation cost even further. But if you have the options to install tankless in your new build it’s a very affordable option. 

Which water heater should I choose?

In the end, pick the type of water heater that will best fit your lifestyle, budget and water usage on a monthly basis. If you’re comfortable with higher initial costs, tankless heaters will save you money in the long run. Tankless can also be a good choice for large families because you have more people consistently using more hot water.

Our plumbing experts at Malek Service Company want you to make the right decision for you, then be there whenever you need us. If you’d like to discuss your water heater options with a master plumber, please contact us anytime. Malek is here for YOU.