What is a Tankless Water Heater? As these units grow in popularity with each passing year this question is asked more and more by consumers. Due to traditional tank style heaters being the norm in most households for so long, awareness of tankless models and what exactly it is that they do is generally quite low. Even though they have been around for many years they are still, in some respects and emerging technology, improving and becoming more powerful and efficient as time goes by.
In many other countries throughout the world however, Tankless Water Heaters are much more common. They are extremely popular in Europe and Asia with countries such as Germany and Japan really embracing them. It is perhaps no coincidence that some of the world's top manufacturers in this field were established in these locations.
A Tankless Water Heater has the same overall purpose as a traditional tank style heater - to heat water for use throughout the home as and when it is needed. However they accomplish this goal in very different ways.
A traditional tank heater relies on a tank of water, usually around the 40 or 50 gallon mark which is kept at a constant temperature to be used when required. With these models you are dependant on a preset volume of water, also this can be very inefficient as the water is being constantly heated.
With a tankless unit however you are not restricted to a specific amount of water. Tankless Water Heaters are installed between the mains and the water drawing applications of the household. When you demand water for example by switching on your shower, the unit will draw water from the mains and heat it either with a gas burner or electric element depending on what type you have. This heated water is then delivered to you where you need it.
The advantage of this is that due to drawing water directly from the mains you will never run out of hot water. Also tankless models only heat water as and when required meaning efficiency levels are much better than tank units.
As we mentioned above there are 2 main types of tankless heaters. Electric Tankless Water Heaters and Tankless Gas Water Heaters. They of course have their own advantages and disadvantages and different people will require one over the other depending on their specific circumstances. In future posts we will have a closer look at each type of unit and their respective pros and cons.
This should be a good introduction for those of you who are new to these products. A good, broad overview is always a good thing when educating yourself on something new and this should have you covered and answer the question, what is a Tankless Water Heater.
In many other countries throughout the world however, Tankless Water Heaters are much more common. They are extremely popular in Europe and Asia with countries such as Germany and Japan really embracing them. It is perhaps no coincidence that some of the world's top manufacturers in this field were established in these locations.
A Tankless Water Heater has the same overall purpose as a traditional tank style heater - to heat water for use throughout the home as and when it is needed. However they accomplish this goal in very different ways.
A traditional tank heater relies on a tank of water, usually around the 40 or 50 gallon mark which is kept at a constant temperature to be used when required. With these models you are dependant on a preset volume of water, also this can be very inefficient as the water is being constantly heated.
With a tankless unit however you are not restricted to a specific amount of water. Tankless Water Heaters are installed between the mains and the water drawing applications of the household. When you demand water for example by switching on your shower, the unit will draw water from the mains and heat it either with a gas burner or electric element depending on what type you have. This heated water is then delivered to you where you need it.
The advantage of this is that due to drawing water directly from the mains you will never run out of hot water. Also tankless models only heat water as and when required meaning efficiency levels are much better than tank units.
As we mentioned above there are 2 main types of tankless heaters. Electric Tankless Water Heaters and Tankless Gas Water Heaters. They of course have their own advantages and disadvantages and different people will require one over the other depending on their specific circumstances. In future posts we will have a closer look at each type of unit and their respective pros and cons.
This should be a good introduction for those of you who are new to these products. A good, broad overview is always a good thing when educating yourself on something new and this should have you covered and answer the question, what is a Tankless Water Heater.