Are Tankless Water Heaters Worth It?

There are so many follow-up questions that need to be asked to properly answer this one simple question. When the possibility of switching from storage water heaters to a tankless water heater is a viable option, there are many other questions that our team at Earl’s Plumbing will want to ask in order to provide you with the best advice and the various pros and cons of each.

There are so many follow-up questions that need to be asked to properly answer this one simple question. When the possibility of switching from storage water heaters to a tankless water heater is a viable option, there are many other questions that our team at Earl’s Plumbing will want to ask in order to provide you with the best advice and the various pros and cons of each.

• How many traditional tank-type water heaters do you have right now?
  Many people are interested in going tankless, but they only have one tank heater located in the garage. And while we can make that work, it could be total overkill. Ultimately, based on the information that we provide, you can make that choice. But from a price comparison standpoint, a tankless heater installation is a considerable investment and a lot closer in total price to two tank heaters versus one. That’s especially true if the tankless heater is located in the attic. Ultimately, a tankless water heater will pay for itself in utility savings, but that happens a lot faster when the savings comparison is versus two tank heaters instead of one.

• How old are your current tank water heater(s)?
  The vast majority of the existing tank heaters installed in this area are classified as 6-year builder-grade water heaters. That means they have a 6-year manufacturer’s warranty—they typically last between 9–12 years. Sometimes they won’t last quite that long. Sometimes, they may go a little longer, but it’s best not to push them too far, especially if they are in the attic or above a living space. To a certain extent, the livelihood can be brand-specific or even supplier-specific. Also, the word “lasts” is a subjective term. To some it could mean “until it leaks” (and causes damage to the home). It could mean “it just stops functioning or heating.” It could mean that one of the two heaters has stopped working, and you should repair or replace the single heater (or just rip off the band-aid and replace both heaters). It could also mean that they are just no longer efficient or that they are making a lot of annoying crackling noise. The most important takeaway here is this: it is always best to be proactive in replacing tank heaters.

• Where are your tank water heaters located—in the attic or the garage?
  Location is extremely important. It matters from a risk of property damage standpoint but also from a cost-to-install standpoint. A tankless heater installed in the attic is considerably less expensive than installation in the garage. That’s the exact opposite of regular tank water heaters, where it is actually more expensive to install in the attic versus the garage. Therefore, from a price standpoint alone, it’s almost a no-brainer to go tankless if the unit will be installed in the attic. In fact, it is fairly rare that Earl’s Plumbing installs two tank water heaters in the attic when homeowners are given the choice between tankless and tanks. From a risk potential alone, which scenario sounds more ideal? Storing and continually heating 100 gallons of 140+ degree hot water in rusting metal tanks located above your living room? Or installing a far more energy-efficient, heat-on-demand, Navien tankless water heater that has about 3 gallons of water inside a stainless steel tubing system sealed inside a combustion chamber?

• Do you ever run out of hot water?
  Regardless of whether you have one or two traditional tank water heaters, if you are ever running out of hot water, a Navien tankless water heater may be an absolute must. A tankless heater installed by Earl’s Plumbing provides an unlimited amount of hot water at a fraction of the cost. In addition, depending on the version of the tankless water heater that we install, we can most likely significantly reduce the hot water wait times at all of your fixtures. That translates to saving thousands of gallons of wasted water and hundreds of dollars in water utilities every year.

• How many people live in the home, and how many bathrooms do you have?
  Depending on the answers provided to this and to previous questions, we may also ask the ages of the residents. Teenagers tend to take longer showers and baths. Younger children will eventually become teenagers. If only two people live in the home with no plans to grow that number and they never run out of hot water, although a tankless heater is an option, it may not be ideal. But in the case of a larger family (5+) and a larger house (5,000+ sqft), two tankless heaters may be required to meet the required expectations. This question also relates to the long-term nature of a tankless heater. For example, a Navien tankless water heater has a 15-year warranty on the heat exchanger. Current testing indicates that in conjunction with the expected routine maintenance and upkeep, Navien engineers think the current versions of their tankless water heaters may exceed 20 years or more! We have removed and replaced older and lesser quality tankless water heaters that have exceeded 18+ years of life.

• How many square feet is your home?
  Your home’s square footage is actually one of the least important things we are concerned about. However, some special considerations around capacity and recirculation have to be taken into consideration when the house is over 5,000 square feet. Conversely, when a house is less than 2,000 square feet, other water heating options may make more sense. That is a decision that you can ultimately make based on your individual needs and preferences. We just provide you with the options, prices, and pros & cons.

• What year was the home built in and what city do you live in?
  This question combo is important for a couple of different reasons. Certain codes were in place based on the year the home was built and the city in which it was built. Because Earl’s Plumbing installs more tankless water heaters than anybody else in the cities that we serve, we are quite familiar with the obstacles that we could encounter in a particular area or neighborhood versus another. When we have the answers to this question, we may have more follow-up questions or considerations about that particular city.

• What kind of roofing is on your home?
  If you call numerous plumbers for quotes on tankless heaters, this is the one question that you should ask them: “Does your install price include a licensed roofer to complete the vent termination?”As far as we can tell, Earl’s Plumbing is the only plumber in the Frisco, McKinney, Plano, Allen, and surrounding area that includes the full turnkey installation with a licensed roofer in our price. Yes, basic roofing work is required in over 95% of tankless water heater installations to properly vent and complete a proper installation of a tankless water heater. We know this because we used to do it the same way that everyone else does. We would tell our customers that they needed to get a roofer out to complete the venting. Months or over a year later, we’d return for another job only to find that the roofing was still not completed. Because this could void the warranty, we started including the roofing part in our service and price. We complete hundreds of tankless installations in the area, so we are familiar with most of the neighborhoods and their respective roofs. But we may ask this question because typical asphalt shingle-type roofs cost us significantly less than new junctions for materials like Spanish clay tiles, slate, metal, or some other types of composite or commercial roofing.

• What fixture in your house has the longest wait time for hot water and how long is that wait?
  Answers to this question range from anywhere from “forever” to “over 8 minutes” to “5 seconds.” In reality, an extreme wait time in a larger house without a dedicated recirculation loop is usually no more than 3.5 minutes in the winter and about 2.5 minutes in the summer. If your answer is 5 seconds, then you likely have a dedicated recirculation line. We typically do not see these setups in homes smaller than 5,000 sq. ft. unless it is requested and paid for as an upgrade. Also, larger houses sometimes have to have an extra pump to compensate for the additional head pressure in the lines. This is important because of what we need to do from the recirculation pump standpoint that comes with our Navien tankless water heater installation. Earl’s Plumbing’s flagship and primary go-to Navien tankless water heater is the NPE 240A V2. It accounts for well over 95% of our tankless gas water heater installations. One of its best features is the built-in recirculation pump. With a little “Earl’s Plumbing know-how” we can accomplish what most area plumbers have no concept of—proper use of the recirculation pump’s benefits and dramatically reducing wait times for hot water. Without a dedicated built-in recirculation line across every fixture throughout the home, “instant hot water” is not realistic. But if we can take your 3+ minute wait, give you virtually instant warm water, then blazing hot water in 20-40 seconds, would that be considerably better? It is very possible—in fact, likely, as we do this multiple times a week across homes in Frisco, McKinney, Plano, and Allen. Results vary across different types of construction, plumbing systems, and incoming water pressures, but we do not recall a time that anyone has been disappointed with the end results. There is one other thing to consider when weighing your options. Although we cannot calculate the amount with any certainty due to differences in lifestyles, the water waste savings are likely considerable. Take the recirculation option (tankless or tank) in an average-sized home with an average-sized family of four people that have relatively normal bathing and washing routines. The greatly reduced hot water wait times could save in excess of 15,000 gallons of water waste per year, per house. This is in addition to the annualized gas utility savings and the first-year tax incentives and utility rebates!