Tankless water heater vs. Tank type water heater.

 My Professional opinion on this issue may not what you may expect.

 Tankless water heaters are great if you are purchasing them for the correct application and reason.           

 - Instant hot water = no. The cold water in the pipping from the HWH to the fixture will still have to be displaced, either by running the faucet ( wasting the same water as a tank type) or buy installing a recirculation pump specifically designed for use with the THWH, which still may shorten the warranty on the unit, and is much less expensive to have installed during the construction of the home.

- Over all cost benefit = no ( in retrofit situations). To start with the tankless can cost two to three times as much to have purchased and installed just on the plumbing end. If your tank type is electric you will have to hire an electrician to pull a new service from your panel to the unit, If your service panel is to small you would probably will need a sub panel installed. If your existing HWH is gas you may have to up size the service lines to the THWH. While saving on energy when not in use, when it activates it has to heat water much faster and uses allot of energy while heating. Also the THWH is a very sophisticated appliance which in most cases have allot of upkeep and maintenance which under some warranties, has to be preformed by a plumber certified by the heater company or the warranty may not be covered.

-You are looking for Endless hot water= Yes, If you have a large tub, shower with jets, have allot of people or for other reasons hot water demand is higher than normal. Again make sure it is sized and installed by a professional or you may not get what you were expecting.

 In my own home I have a 50 Gallon electric tank type on a timer which runs 2 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening, the timer cost a couple hundred to have installed and will in most cases will not have to be changed when you install a new heater.

 My point here is simply before you buy a tankless hot water heater, do your home work. H2O Plumbing Solutions does NOT believe in blindly passing on Sales pitches from manufacturers. If a newer product is better we will explain the difference and let you decide.

 Thank you for reading. H.P.S.