Look So Easy

Getting hot water looks so easy. Turn the faucet, on and out it comes - we take it for granted. What happens when it stops working.

You want your hot water and you want it now. Don’t you hate taking a shower in the morning and end up constantly adjusting the hot water valve. Or, you get stuck at the end of the queue … everyone takes a shower before you and you’re out in the cold - literally. A good water heater is a trouble-free water heater.

Water heaters should last about 10 years, but if you don’t maintain them that can be cut short. Did you know you should drain your water heater every year. Have you ever done it? If you’re like me, it never happens and you just hope for the best. Guess what! If you haven’t done it regularly, it may not be a good idea to start now. If that drain valve is not used often, it could get stuck. Rust and sediment can gets jammed there and if you open that valve, you now have a leaky valve.

It’s obvious you need a new water heater if there is no hot water or it starts to leak, but you may not want to wait for that to happen. If the recovery rate slows down, like it takes a long time to heat water, or it gets noisy when operating, tt may be time to start planning. When it does break down, you don’t want to be frantic to get a new one immediately. At that point, you may not be so rational about cost and selection when the family is anxious to take a shower. Before rushing out to replace it with a similar model, take a look at the tankless water heaters.

That’s right. No tank of hot water to keep hot. You get instantaneous hot water on demand and the system will never run out of hot water as long as they stay within the range of the heater purchased. I’ve seen them in operation in the Asia over a decade ago and I hear they use them in Europe.

So what are the benefits of a tankless water heater, besides the endless supply of instant water. You save money by cutting energy costs. The U.S. Department of Energy says replacing a standard electric storage tank water heater with a tankless one can save consumers up to 34 percent of their bill; you can see an energy savings of 27-50 percent if you install a tankless water heater at each hot water outlet. A tankless system will typically last 20 years, double the life of a standard system. And if you upgrade, you may be eligible for a tax credit of $300, through the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

There you go. Good for consumer … good for the environment and save lots of money. Sizes vary to fit your needs and can be powered by natural gas, liquid propane or electricity. Dump that old water heater tank and you also gain some space. The tankless ones can be installed in places from tiny bedroom closets to outdoor installations.

The next time your hot water tank show signs it’s nearing the end, consider going tankless. Getting hot water when you want it will then look so easy.