Tankless Water Heater Houston | Plumber Houston TX
Houston Tankless Water Heaters - On Demand (Tankless or Instantaneous) Water
Heaters Installed by Plumber Houston Texas
Tankless Water Heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. Therefore, they avoid the standby heat losses associated with storage water heaters. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit.
Houston Electric and Gas Tankless Water Heaters
In an electric tankless water heater an electric element heats the water. In a natural or propane gas-fired tankless water heater a gas burner heats the water. As a result, Tankless Water Heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water. You don't need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough hot water. Typically, tankless water heaters provide hot water at a rate of 2 – 5 gallons (7.6 – 15.2 liters) per minute.
Typically, natural gas or propane gas-fired tankless water heaters will produce higher flow rates than electric tankless water heaters. Some smaller tankless water heaters, however, cannot supply enough hot water for simultaneous, multiple uses in large households. For example, taking a shower and running the dishwasher at the same time can stretch a tankless water heater to its limit.
To overcome this problem, you can install a “whole house” type tankless water heater or install two or more tankless water heaters, connected in parallel for simultaneous demands of hot water. You can also install separate tankless water heaters for appliances, such as a clothes washer or dishwater, that use a lot of hot water in your home.
Houston Interior On-Demand Water Heater
American Water Heater's on-demand gas water heaters, for instance, features include:
- Continuous hot water on demand
- Whole house water heating solution
- Remote temperature controller +/-2° F included
- Direct electronic ignition—no pilot light
- On-board diagnostics and safety monitoring
- Interior sealed combustion (does not use interior combustion air)
- 12-year limited warranty on heat exchanger, 5-year warranty on all parts
- Up to 84% thermal efficiency, providing significant energy cost savings
- ASME models available
Plumbing Houston has been installing tankless water heaters for several years. These so called demand water heaters, are common in countries where energy prices are historically high. They began appearing here a couple of decades ago, but really took off as Rinnai started extensive advertising, creating awareness of these impressive units.
Unlike the tank water heater you grew up with, tankless water heaters installed by the plumbing Houston professionals, heat water an as needed basis. The heating equipment is activated by the flow of water when someone turns on a faucet or takes a shower or both. The heater proceeds to deliver a continuous supply of hot water. Keep in mind that tankless water heaters may not be suitable for all residential or commercial water heating applications and you should consult the Houston plumber for sizing requirements.
What Houston Home Owners Can Expect From a Tankless Water Heater
Flow rates for residential tankless hot water heaters are measured in gallons per minute based on a given heat rise (typically 45 to 80 degrees) and range from 2 gallons per minute to over 13 gallons per minute. A unit that heats 4 gallons per minute can handle a shower plus one appliance operating at the same time.
To give you an ides of what would be required for your Houston Texas home, a unit with over 7 gallons per minute can typically handle two showers and a large appliance.
Important to note to Houston home owners: Tankless units do not provide “instant hot water” as hot water still takes time to flow from the unit to the tap or shower. If the unit is at the far end of the house, you will still wait until the hot water gets there. That's why they are installed in a more central location, in the house, along an outside wall ( yes, there are exterior units) instead of down in the basement or out in the garage.