Stretching your energy dollars further
By now, you’ve probably heard something about the benefits of tankless water heaters. Compared to traditional water heaters, these pieces of equipment have plenty of positive implications for your home’s energy bills as well as the general state of your utility areas. While installing a tankless water heater isn’t rocket science, it does help to keep a few commonsense tips in mind as you embark on this money-saving project.
How Do Tankless Water Heaters Work?
Also known as “continuous flow” heaters, tankless water heaters live up to their name. Instead of taking in heating and storing water from an incoming main line, tankless water heaters deliver powerful blasts of heat that warm up the water that flows into a structure from outside without halting its movement. Since stored water has much more time to lose heat than rapidly flowing water, this dramatically reduces the amount of energy that it takes to provide consistent supplies of warm fluid to a home or business.
Vent Pipes and Holes: Preparing the Site
Installing a water heater is a relatively straightforward process. First, remove your traditional water heater and prepare to install the new device in the same location. If the new heater’s intake matches the existing vent pipe, simply attach it in the appropriate place. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to drill an appropriately sized hole and run a new vent pipe through.
Installing the Heater
Once you’ve settled this new configuration, install a backboard with support slats—two-by-fours work best—to support the tankless water heater. Next, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for attaching the vent pipe and hooking up the water heater to the structure’s system. You’ll need to screw everything tightly into place before using the device.
Reaping the Benefits
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, tankless water heaters can slash water-related energy usage by as much as 50%. What’s more, their “always-on” functionality ensures that you won’t run out of hot water after prolonged periods of use. Since tankless water heaters are considerably smaller than traditional heaters, they also leave more room for storage in cluttered areas of the home.
Turn to a Trusted Plumbing Partner in Austin
If you’re ready to embark on your tankless water heater project but don’t want to leave anything to chance, we stand ready to help. Our commercial heating pros are happy to assist with installations in your place of business, and our dedicated residential heating team can handle virtually any job in your Austin-area home. For more information about our services, call (512) 837-9500 or visit our website.