If your Owasso, OK, home needs a new water heater, your two primary options are a storage tank water heater or a tankless water heater. If you’re like most homeowners, you likely have more experience with the former, and you may have never even seen the latter in operation. That’s because storage tank water heaters have dominated the US residential market for years. However, tankless water heaters come with a variety of advantages that make them well worth considering. Here’s everything you need to know to make an informed choice between a tanked and a tankless water heater.
The Pros of Storage Tank Water Heaters
The overwhelming popularity of storage tank water heaters comes with many advantages that make them a desirable option. One of those advantages is price. Storage tank water heaters are relatively inexpensive to purchase and install, especially if your home already has the required plumbing and wiring to support one.
Storage tank water heaters also come in a variety of sizes, so you can always choose a model large enough to supply sufficient hot water for your needs. Choosing a storage tank water heater with a high flow rate, allows you to use hot water in multiple places in your home simultaneously without difficulty.
It’s also worth noting that storage tank water heaters have a long track record of reliability. The technology itself dates back to the late 1800s, and decades of innovation after that led to storage tank water heaters becoming efficient, reliable, and easy to maintain. Storage tank water heaters don’t need much maintenance, and the simplicity of their parts tends to keep repair costs low when it’s necessary for a replacement.
The Cons of Storage Tank Water Heaters
One of the biggest drawbacks of storage tank water heaters is that they’re inherently wasteful. They pre-heat water and store it until it’s needed. However, even the best-insulated models lose heat while in standby mode. So, you’re essentially paying to reheat the same water over and over again so it can be there when you need it. According to some estimates, such heat losses can add up to wasting almost 14% of the energy consumed by your water heater.
Another drawback to storage tank water heaters is that they only last between 10 and 15 years, on average. So, even though they’re inexpensive, you will need to replace yours fairly often. Plus, they take up a significant amount of space. This is especially true if you purchase a high-capacity model to make sure you never run short of hot water. On the other hand, if you opt for a model with less capacity, you could find yourself taking a suddenly cold shower or having to wash dishes in cold water more frequently than you’d like.
The Pros of Tankless Water Heaters
By far, the biggest advantage of tankless water heaters is that they provide hot water on demand for as long as you need it. So, if you feel like taking an extra-long shower, doing a load of laundry, and running your dishwasher simultaneously, you can do that without difficulty. Plus, tankless water heaters are significantly more efficient than storage tank models. For one thing, they don’t suffer standby losses, which makes a huge difference. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, tankless water heaters can save you up to 34% on energy costs compared to a storage tank if you use less than 41 gallons of water per day. And even if you use up to 86 gallons of hot water per day, you would still save up to 14%.
Tankless water heaters also last up to twice as long as storage tank models. They can last for up to 20 years before needing to be replaced, while tanked water heaters usually only last for about 12 years. Another pro to a tankless water heater is that since they do not have a tank, they save space. This benefit is especially useful if you have a small living space and you don’t have room to accommodate a bulky tank.
The Cons of Tankless Water Heaters
Although having an endless supply of hot water sounds nice, tankless water heaters do have some limitations you should know about. One is that they have a limited flow rate. That means you’ll have unlimited hot water, but only if you don’t use hot water in too many places in your home at once. Of course, you can fix that problem by installing a larger tankless water heater or more than one unit, but that only exacerbates their second drawback: cost.
Tankless water heaters can cost two or three times as much as storage tank models upfront. Those costs only go up when you choose a model with a higher flow rate or have to install multiple units. Then, there’s the vulnerability of tankless water heaters to hard water. While you can simply flush a storage tank water heater to alleviate the effects of hard water, you can’t do that with tankless models. So, if your home has hard water, you may need a water-softening system alongside your tankless water heater.
Making the Right Choice
There’s no wrong choice when it comes to storage tank water heaters versus tankless water heaters. Instead, you should focus on your home’s specific hot water needs and your budget as you approach the decision. If you tend to use hot water in multiple parts of your home simultaneously, it’s hard to argue against a storage tank model. It will provide a high enough flow rate to meet your needs without breaking the bank.
However, if you don’t use very much hot water and you want the most efficient solution possible, a tankless model is the way to go. In most cases, the savings generated through operational efficiency will erase the extra upfront costs of a tankless system fairly quickly. Plus, the extended lifespan of a tankless water heater means you’ll get an excellent return on your upfront investment in any case.
If you have a limited budget, though, all of the promises of future savings in the world won’t change the fact that a storage tank water heater costs far less upfront. In that case, your best bet is to stick with a storage tank and perhaps save up for a tankless model in a decade or so when the time comes for its replacement.
Your Water Heater Specialists
Half Moon Plumbing specializes in water heaters of all kinds. So, whichever type you choose for your Owasso home, we can help. We’ve served the residents here since 2007, offering comprehensive plumbing, drain and sewer, water heater, and water filtration services. We prioritize making our customers happy in all we do. Our Google reviews show how happy our customers are with our service. So, if you need a new water heater in Owasso, call Half Moon Plumbing today!
