There are few greater annoyances on an early morning than discovering that you don’t have any hot water available in your house. A broken water heater isn’t something you want to occur in any month, but it’s especially uncomfortable during a sharp Illinois winter.
However, if you’re looking to get a new water heater to replace an old one that’s aged beyond repair, you don’t have the simple choice that you once did. New water heaters are now on the market that may offer you better options than your older system. Don’t go without hot water again. For Naperville, IL, water heater installation and advice, contact DuAll Heating & Cooling.
Although there is a large variety of water heater models and types that rely on differing energy sources, there a two broad categories that you will have to decide between: tank or tankless.
Tank water heaters: This is the most familiar kind of water heater, with a large tank where water is kept and heated continually until it is needed in the home. Their big advantage is their relatively inexpensive initial cost and installation. If you don’t frequently have problems with hot water running out in your home, then the standard storage heater is a viable option. But these systems have high energy use because they constantly maintain the water temperature, whether you’re using the hot water or not. And in a household with a large number of people, the hot water supply can get depleted quickly.
Tankless water heaters: These heaters are becoming increasingly popular as replacements for standard tank systems. They are sometimes called “demand” heaters, since they only supply heated water when it is needed. Water from the household supply runs through a heat exchanger that raises the temperature of the water whenever someone in the house turns on a hot water faucet, starts the washing machine, or anything else that requires hot water. The big advantage is the household will not run out of hot water since it isn’t coming from an established supply. Because they don’t constantly expend energy to heat a large water tank, tankless systems also offer energy savings. However, they cost more to install, take longer to heat up water, and depending on how many water outlets are operating at one time, they may not be as efficient for your needs.
It can be tricky to determine which kind of water heater is best for your home: it depends on the amount of hot water you use, the available energy supply, the number of people in your household, and your long-term energy saving plans. You can read more about tank vs. tankless water heaters, or you can consult with the experts at DuAll Heating & Cooling when getting a water heater in Naperville, IL becomes a serious possibility. We can help you decide if tank or tankless is the way to go, and then help you install the system you choose.