What are the major differences in tankless water heater installation types and locations?

Attic installations make up the vast majority of our tankless installations and retrofit installations. The ratio probably breaks down to something like 80% attic, 15% garage, and 5% in other locations.

In time, as the age of homes ready for replacement changes these percentages will also change.

• Attic installation vs. Garage installation: The process for these two types of installation is similar but there are significant differences between installing a new tankless water heater in the attic versus the garage. The first is price.
• Swapping Out Tankless for Tankless: There is a significant difference when we are swapping out an existing tankless heater for a new tankless model. In most cases, the price difference in a swap versus a brand-new retrofit can be significantly reduced. We are a lot more limited in what model we can install, but in most cases, the water lines, electrical, and in some cases the venting is already in place and sometimes can be repurposed.
• Exterior Cabinet-Mounted Installation: Many homes these days have tankless heaters mounted in cabinets on the outside of their homes. Typically, these are in-model proprietary metal cabinets and hidden from view. Some homeowners do not even know where their water heater is until there is a problem. In our professional opinion, this install type is less than ideal because of the future limitations in the heater brand as well as the size and capacity. But we’re pretty sure the manufacturers thought of this and purposely made it that way. These units are the size of a suitcase, so they could go anywhere during the construction process. In addition, we also feel that these locations are ripe for issues such as freezing, air intake problems, and overall longevity. Regardless, a swap install involves considerably less labor and materials and therefore price. But please note we have significant limitations in what we can go back with and/or how we can improve the water heater performance and production.