Tankless Concepts Owner/Operator Ed Clark is featured in this Angie's List Article by Angie Hicks. In these excerpts, Ed talks about about Tankless Water Heaters.
Advice from Angie's List by Angie Hicks: Tankless Water Heaters
Advice from Angie's List by Angie Hicks: Tankless Water Heaters
"A tank water heater is a variable-temperature device," said Ed Clark, owner of Tankless Concepts in Falls Church, Va., which has installed more than 1,000 tankless units over the past nine years. "When you turn on the hot water and hot water is flowing out, an equal amount of cold water is brought down to the bottom of the heater and mixes with the hot water you just paid to heat. This is a situation we've accepted for many, many years, but there is something wrong with this picture."
"We have a number of heaters we've put into four-story townhouses, which have an 80-gallon tank on the top floor, which is like a ticking time bomb ready to send water down four stories," Clark said. "A tankless heater replacement solves that problem and prevents that from being such a big liability."
"An extremely high percentage of (the service) calls that we go on are because of improper installations," Clark said. "There are a whole bunch of people putting them in that do not install them correctly. Probably the biggest factor that causes the most damage is the fact they don't have a condensate collector properly installed. So any condensate that forms inside the venting system runs back into the unit. It's very discouraging to see a unit that will last 20-plus years if properly installed being completely degraded by the condensate they didn't see fit to collect."
Here's the entire article:
Advice from Angie's List by Angie Hicks: Tankless Water Heaters
Advice from Angie's List by Angie Hicks: Tankless Water Heaters
If you want to be a good steward to the environment but you love taking long, luxuriously hot showers, don’t despair: A tankless water heater can help you do both. It will even save you money.
A gas-powered tankless water heater provides an almost endless stream of hot water. Because the small box-shaped unit mounts to the wall, it occupies a fraction of the space of a tank unit, which requires the use of fuel to maintain a hot temperature, even when the water is not in use.
Tankless units are more eco-friendly than tank heaters because they produce fewer greenhouse emissions and can also be easily repaired – so fewer will end up in a landfill compared to the large tank units.
"I have one in my home," said Will Shilling, a master plumber and owner of Will’s Plumbing & Testing Service in San Antonio, which sells, installs and services tankless heaters. "Basically, you don’t have to buy another water heater once you get one of these. Every one of the parts can be replaced. And you don’t have to worry about bathing in shifts because you’ll run out of hot water."
The average U.S. family can shave 30 percent off their water heating bills with a tankless heater. That’s a savings of more than $100 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
"A tank water heater is a variable-temperature device," said Ed Clark, owner of Tankless Concepts in Falls Church, Va., which has installed more than 1,000 tankless units over the past nine years. "When you turn on the hot water and hot water is flowing out, an equal amount of cold water is brought down to the bottom of the heater and mixes with the hot water you just paid to heat. This is a situation we’ve accepted for many, many years, but there is something wrong with this picture."
Constant-temperature tankless systems, which have been popular for years in Asia and Europe but only in recent years have made an impression in the U.S., typically cost about twice that of a conventional system – on average, between $2,500 and $5,000 – depending on the type of unit and the necessary installment requirements. Many companies will include the cost of pulling any permits for gas and water work, installing the venting system and taking the old tank heater away.
Other benefits include an industry standard useful life of at least 20 years – though because parts can be replaced, useful life could be much longer – as well as energy and space savings and the absence of a tank that could leak.
"We have a number of heaters we’ve put into four-story townhouses, which have an 80-gallon tank on the top floor, which is like a ticking time bomb ready to send water down four stories," Clark said. "A tankless heater replacement solves that problem and prevents that from being such a big liability."
Tankless units require proper venting and should be placed close to gas lines to operate at their highest efficiency. A licensed plumber who has a good history of working with tankless heaters can help ensure you purchase one that is properly fitted to accommodate your family’s needs and that it will be properly installed.
"An extremely high percentage of (the service) calls that we go on are because of improper installations," Clark said. "There are a whole bunch of people putting them in that do not install them correctly. Probably the biggest factor that causes the most damage is the fact they don’t have a condensate collector properly installed. So any condensate that forms inside the venting system runs back into the unit. It’s very discouraging to see a unit that will last 20-plus years if properly installed being completely degraded by the condensate they didn’t see fit to collect."
Electric tankless heaters are available, as well, but those are best in limited situations, such as small apartments or point-of-use applications, like sinks or smaller areas where you want or need plenty of hot water.
Manufacturers continue to improve the efficiency of tankless units, including eliminating a common complaint of a "cold-water sandwich" – in which the water temperature briefly falls when water is turned on at a second location – through the addition of an internal circulator that helps compensate for that temperature drop.
Tankless heaters also require minimal maintenance. Depending on the hardness of your water, you might need to have the system flushed out every year or two. A flushing by a qualified plumber costs about $150 on average, although some handy homeowners could also follow the factory-recommended guidelines and do it themselves.
– Angie Hicks is the founder of Angie’s List, the nation’s most trusted resource for local consumer reviews.
Copyright 2012 Creators.com
A gas-powered tankless water heater provides an almost endless stream of hot water. Because the small box-shaped unit mounts to the wall, it occupies a fraction of the space of a tank unit, which requires the use of fuel to maintain a hot temperature, even when the water is not in use.
Tankless units are more eco-friendly than tank heaters because they produce fewer greenhouse emissions and can also be easily repaired – so fewer will end up in a landfill compared to the large tank units.
"I have one in my home," said Will Shilling, a master plumber and owner of Will’s Plumbing & Testing Service in San Antonio, which sells, installs and services tankless heaters. "Basically, you don’t have to buy another water heater once you get one of these. Every one of the parts can be replaced. And you don’t have to worry about bathing in shifts because you’ll run out of hot water."
The average U.S. family can shave 30 percent off their water heating bills with a tankless heater. That’s a savings of more than $100 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
"A tank water heater is a variable-temperature device," said Ed Clark, owner of Tankless Concepts in Falls Church, Va., which has installed more than 1,000 tankless units over the past nine years. "When you turn on the hot water and hot water is flowing out, an equal amount of cold water is brought down to the bottom of the heater and mixes with the hot water you just paid to heat. This is a situation we’ve accepted for many, many years, but there is something wrong with this picture."
Constant-temperature tankless systems, which have been popular for years in Asia and Europe but only in recent years have made an impression in the U.S., typically cost about twice that of a conventional system – on average, between $2,500 and $5,000 – depending on the type of unit and the necessary installment requirements. Many companies will include the cost of pulling any permits for gas and water work, installing the venting system and taking the old tank heater away.
Other benefits include an industry standard useful life of at least 20 years – though because parts can be replaced, useful life could be much longer – as well as energy and space savings and the absence of a tank that could leak.
"We have a number of heaters we’ve put into four-story townhouses, which have an 80-gallon tank on the top floor, which is like a ticking time bomb ready to send water down four stories," Clark said. "A tankless heater replacement solves that problem and prevents that from being such a big liability."
Tankless units require proper venting and should be placed close to gas lines to operate at their highest efficiency. A licensed plumber who has a good history of working with tankless heaters can help ensure you purchase one that is properly fitted to accommodate your family’s needs and that it will be properly installed.
"An extremely high percentage of (the service) calls that we go on are because of improper installations," Clark said. "There are a whole bunch of people putting them in that do not install them correctly. Probably the biggest factor that causes the most damage is the fact they don’t have a condensate collector properly installed. So any condensate that forms inside the venting system runs back into the unit. It’s very discouraging to see a unit that will last 20-plus years if properly installed being completely degraded by the condensate they didn’t see fit to collect."
Electric tankless heaters are available, as well, but those are best in limited situations, such as small apartments or point-of-use applications, like sinks or smaller areas where you want or need plenty of hot water.
Manufacturers continue to improve the efficiency of tankless units, including eliminating a common complaint of a "cold-water sandwich" – in which the water temperature briefly falls when water is turned on at a second location – through the addition of an internal circulator that helps compensate for that temperature drop.
Tankless heaters also require minimal maintenance. Depending on the hardness of your water, you might need to have the system flushed out every year or two. A flushing by a qualified plumber costs about $150 on average, although some handy homeowners could also follow the factory-recommended guidelines and do it themselves.
– Angie Hicks is the founder of Angie’s List, the nation’s most trusted resource for local consumer reviews.
Copyright 2012 Creators.com
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