In today’s blog, the Home Comfort Advisors at Action Furnace will cover everything you need to know about tankless water heaters. From choosing the right size to understanding the importance of professional installation and ongoing maintenance, this is your ultimate guide to ensuring your tankless water heater can provide enough hot water for your home.
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Is it time to upgrade your home’s water heating system? Tankless hot water heaters are all the rage right now, but you may be wondering: can a tankless water heater supply enough hot water for my home?
Known for their efficiency and compact design, tankless water heaters are quickly becoming the go-to choice for water heater installation here in Alberta, but how do you know if it’s right for you?
In today’s blog, the Home Comfort Advisors at Action Furnace will go over everything you need to know: from how a tankless unit works, their benefits, key factors that influence its performance, and installation considerations you need to keep in mind to ensure a steady and sufficient supply of hot water throughout your home.
At Action Furnace, we’ve built the only dedicated customer experience support team in Alberta, and we’re dedicated to ensuring you make the most informed decision for your hot water needs. We’re your preferred choice for tankless water heater installation, contact us today!
Understanding Tankless Water Heaters
Imagine an endless supply of hot water, when and where you need it. That’s what tankless water heaters promise. Also, referred to as Hot Water On Demand, tankless water heaters allow you to enjoy hot water in seconds and only use the amount you need with no standby loss or water waste.
Here’s how they work:
A tankless water heater is a type of hot water heater that warms water on demand rather than storing it in a tank. These handy systems are designed to be installed directly on your home’s water supply lines, allowing it to take up less space than traditional tanks.
Tankless heaters work by heating water as it flows into the unit, using gas or electric elements. It heats the water as soon as you turn on the tap, rather than continuously heating water and storing it for later.
Benefits
Money Saving
Tankless water heaters use up to 30% less natural gas compared to conventional tanked units, resulting in lower utility bills month over month.
Endless Hot Water
When installed correctly, and to your unique needs (more on this later!) tankless systems can provide hot water without running out by eliminating the need to heat and store water.
Space Saving
Unlike traditional hot water heaters and their bulky tanks, tankless models are compact and can be installed almost anywhere. Making them ideal for small spaces, retrofits or for homeowners looking to maximize storage space in their basements or utility rooms.
Factors That Affect Hot Water Supply
There are two main factors that affect your system’s hot water supply.
1.Flow Rate & Simultaneous Usage
Before installing a tankless water heater you need to consider the number of fixtures in your home that will be pulling their water from the system. For example, you want adequate hot water in both your bathroom sink as well as your tub. Your dishwasher and your shower, etc. The more fixtures that are turned on at one time, the higher the combined flow rate will be, increasing the draw on your tankless water heater.
2.Incoming Water Temperature
With a tankless system, because your water is not stored in a tank inside your home, it’s important to consider the outside temperature and how it will affect the temperature of the water flowing in. Simply put, the colder it is outside, the longer it’ll take your tankless unit to heat the water to your desired temperature.
This is always an important reminder here in Alberta, where our winters can get pretty cold.
How To Choose The Right Tankless Water Heater
Here at Action Furnace, we work with leading tankless water heater brands to provide you with the best choices for you and your home.
To ensure it meets your needs, we always begin the installation process with a thorough evaluation.
During this time, your personal Home Comfort Advisor will examine your existing equipment, the size of your home, and estimate the amount of usage in order to quickly give you the best options. This evaluation will include thorough notes on the number of people in your home, the number of bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room layouts, and identify any issues or damage to the connector lines and piping in your home.
At the end of this evaluation you’ll be presented with a comprehensive list of equipment recommendations that are appropriately sized to your needs.
An incorrectly sized tankless water heater simply won’t be able to meet the demands of your household, resulting in inconsistent temperatures and poor water pressure, so this evaluation is an important step.
In addition to sizing considerations, you’ll also want to be familiar with the different fuel types available to you. We’re proud to carry both natural gas and electric options, depending on your personal preferences.
Installation Considerations
As part of our installation process, your Home Comfort Advisor will also check to make sure your existing plumbing system is equipped to handle the demands of a tankless water heater. Not every home is ready for an immediate installation, so your technician will let you know before any work begins if upgrades are needed to your plumbing or gas lines.
The Importance of Professional Installation
It cannot be overstated the importance of professional installation when it comes to your tankless system’s performance and efficiency.
Our trained and experienced technicians know how to properly size, install and troubleshoot your new tankless water heater so you don’t have to worry about the quality of your water for years to come.
We never recommend installing a water heater by yourself, as this can cause damage to your new heater or plumbing, and may also affect your equipment’s warranty.
Trust our team, contact us today for your installation needs! Before being allowed on our prestigious installation team, our technicians are required to complete a comprehensive apprenticeship program, and are continuously trained throughout their careers, so you can rest assured we will complete your installation cleanly, professionally and on time.
If for any reason we haven’t installed your new tankless water heater in accordance with our high standards, we will provide you with 1 year free club membership at no charge.
Regular Maintenance - Protect Your Investment!
Just like your furnace, AC or even your old hot water tank, tankless water heaters require regular maintenance to keep them operating at peak performance all year long. This can include:
- Cleaning the heating elements to ensure proper performance.
- Flushing the unit periodically to remove mineral build-up which can reduce efficiency and damage the unit or connecting lines.
- Inspecting filters and monitoring water pressure.
- Keeping the area around the unit clean and free from dirt or dust.
- Checking for leaks.
Routine maintenance is also crucial to ensuring your tankless water heater continues to meet the water usage demands of your household.
To help make maintenance easier on you, we recommend having your equipment serviced once a year through our Total Comfort Club, Action Furnace’s premier home comfort system maintenance program.
When you sign up, you’ll enjoy priority service, savings on service and diagnostic fees, 10% off any future repairs and the most comprehensive maintenance service in the industry, prescheduled!
While the idea of energy efficiency and a space saving design may draw you in, it’s important to take stock of the recommendations above to ensure it can meet your family’s needs. Proper sizing, installation and even ongoing maintenance are the only way your tankless water heater will continue to provide a steady stream of hot water now, and in the future.
We hope you’ve found this blog helpful. If you have any other questions about tankless water heaters, please reach out! Our friendly team is standing by, we can’t wait to meet you and help you get the most out of your new tankless water heater. Until next time!
Frequently Asked Questions About Tankless Water Heaters
How is a tankless water heater installed?
When you purchase your tankless water heater from Action Furnace we go through a detailed installation process to make sure your new equipment is sized and set up properly. This process may include running a new gas or water line, connecting the unit to your home’s plumbing system and testing the new unit to ensure it’s functioning properly.
How long does it take to install a tankless water heater?
Tankless water heaters can usually be installed in less than a day. If there are any factors that could increase installation time, we’ll be sure to let you know ahead of time so you can prepare accordingly.
How much does it cost to install a tankless water heater?
The cost to install a tankless water heater will vary depending on the type of system, the size of your home, and the condition of your existing plumbing system. On average tankless water heaters cost anywhere between $1500-$3500 and up depending on the brand. But when you choose Action Furnace you’ll have an upfront quote you can trust thanks to our No Surprise Guarantee.
Why Choose Action Furnace?
- Available when and where you need us.
- Fully-stocked service trucks.
- Professional, trained technicians.
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