4 Questions About Tankless Hot Water Heaters

Many homeowners are selecting tankless water heaters for their homes due to all the advantages they have over a traditional hot water tank. These tanks work a bit differently than what you may be used to having in your home since tankless water heaters will heat the water on demand. They don't waste energy heating water when it is not being used and are a much more efficient way of generating hot water. If you're curious about tankless hot water heaters, here are a few questions you may have about them. 

How Is The Water Heated?

A tankless hot water heater works thanks to a special heat exchanger. When you turn on a hot water faucet in your home, the water flows through the tankless hot water heater's unique heat exchanger. It will rapidly heat as quickly as it takes for the water to flow through the unit, and deliver hot water to any faucet in your home that has a hot water pipe connected to it. 

How Is The Heat Exchanger Activated?

Tankless hot water tanks will have a flow sensor inside of them, which is activated when it senses water moving. A gas burner will then activate and produce heat, which will raise the water temperature within the unit's heat exchanger. It works quite well at only turning on when the water is flowing, which helps ensure that the water heater is not wasting energy unintentionally. 

How Is The Temperature Of The Water Controlled?

There is modulating technology used in every hot water heater that helps generate hot water at the proper temperature. While a hot water tank constantly heats the water at the same temperature all the time, this is not possible with a tankless model that heats water on demand. The temperature of the water will increase along with the unit's flow rate, which helps maintain the water at a hot temperature when the demand is high in a household. When very little water is being used, the unit can operate at a lower temperature to conserve energy. 

Can You Ever Run Out Of Hot Water? 

A common problem with a traditional hot water tank is that you can run out of hot water, which typically happens at high-demand times when everyone is showering with a small hot water tank in the home. Tankless hot water heaters do heat water on demand, so they can never really run out of hot water. However, a tankless model has a limit to how much hot water it can produce at once, and there may be a limit where the water starts to get cold when too much hot water is being used at once. 

For more information about tankless water heater systems, reach out to a local service.

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