Your family’s needs play a large role in whether a storage or tankless water heater is right for you.
Our needs fall into many different categories. How many people are in the home? More people use more hot water. What are the bathing habits of everyone? If the whole family wants to shower around the same time of day, you might run out of hot water with a storage tank water heater. But if you have a small family or everyone showers at different times of day, this won’t be an issue. Do you have a large whirlpool bath or soaker tub? Soaker tubs and whirlpools can use more than 60 gallons of hot water, so you might also consider tankless if you’ll fill a large bath often.
Ask yourself those questions and more to figure out what your exact hot water needs are. This will help you compare storage and tankless water heaters and decide if taking the tankless plunge is right for you.
How much hot water does a water heater produce?
With a storage tank water heater, you can usually get 40 to 60 gallons of hot water, which is equal to about 20 minutes running time. With a properly sized and installed tankless water heater, you can run 110-degree water at 5 to 6 gallons a minute for as long as you want and never run out. Shower heads and faucets typically have a maximum flow of 2.5 gallons per minute.
Do you need a tankless water heater?
If a storage tank unit has been serving you fine, then you probably don’t have a compelling reason to go tankless. However, if you’re interested in going tankless, it’s a good idea to price out a conversion sooner rather than later. This will allow you make an informed decision when the time comes, which will be especially helpful if you need to replace your current water heater due to an unexpected equipment failure.
Source: Angie’s List