Are Tanked Water Heaters Obsolete?

Tanked versus tankless water heaters

In 1889 Edwin Ruud, a mechanical engineer invented his first iteration of the hot water heater, heated by gas and providing residents with nearly instantaneous hot water. Technology has certainly improved since then, but the concept is, largely, the same. Tanked water heaters are a proven method that is here to stay for now. As tankless technology continues to improve, it will hold a larger portion of the hot water market, but most households still get their hot water from a tank has a capacity to hold between 30-50 gallons and is kept hot and replenished when necessary. While the clear efficiency benefits exist for a tankless water heater, the tanked water heater is more affordable for most. Tanked water heaters are here to stay for the foreseeable future, at least until tankless becomes more accessible.

To Tank or not to Tank

Comparing tanked and tankless water heaters

In comparison, tanked water heaters are limited to their gallon capacity. When the tank is depleted of hot water, fresh water flows into the tank and is heated by the heating elements. Those elements are either powered by electricity or natural gas. The tank less water heater heats the water as you need it, making it, virtually, limitless because there’s no tank to deplete. If you use water within the limits provided by a tank, though, your upfront costs to install and use your water heater are well within a manageable realm, whereas tank-less has a larger upfront cost, making it inaccessible for most homeowners. Additionally, tank-less water heaters can take longer to deliver hot water, where tanked water heaters have the water on hand, and it just needs to travel through pipes. Tank less heaters also deal with cold water sandwich and a difficulty to achieve a lukewarm temperature. Cold water sandwich is the term that refers to what happens when hot water is used in abrupt spurts. The heater heats the water based on demand, then when the hot water is off, cold water continues down the same pipes as the demand has changed. Then turning on the hot tap again will serve hot, cold, and then hot water again. While this isn’t a problem, it does take getting used to, where a tanked water heater just serves hot water based on demand and is limited only by the distance traveled in your pipes.

Water Heater Repair and Replacement

How do you know if your tanked water heater needs replaced?

Ground Zero offers water heater repairs and replacement, and we can even evaluate your current water heater to help you make an informed decision and avoid any abrupt hot water loss. Regardless of tanked or tankless, our expert plumbers can assist you with your needs at your home or for your business. The ultimate goal for Ground Zero is to complete work for our customers in an expert and excellent way. So no matter what your water heater application, we can assist with care, so you can live your life uninterrupted.