Page 41 - Harnett Life Spring 2019

made for every family’s situation. able to afford not to have a tankless heater installed. It is
comforting for me to know, that as long as I have gas and
Myth #1- I will have instant hot water at each fixture water, I will not be running out of a hot shower no matter
and not have to wait any more. how long I decide to soak. Plus, with all the government
Believe it or not, I have actually seen a tv host on a DIY regulations on efficiency, tank heaters are getting more and
network tell a homeowner this lie. Or at the very least, it more costly. A tank type gas heater is upwards of $450-500
is not entirely true. So technically, a tankless water heater nowadays and you can buy a tankless heater for anywhere
does heat water on demand, but that doesn’t mean the wa- from $800-1500. Yes, I know that is a bigger price tag, but
ter doesn’t still have to travel the length of your water line. the higher efficiency pays for itself in a few short years. And
So yes, you will have instant hot water at the heater, but here is my next point:
most people don’t have their heater located right at their
master bath or their kitchen, and certainly not both. Now Myth #4- Tankless water heaters aren’t very efficient
that being said, there are products available with built in and electric tankless is the same as gas tankless.
circulation pumps that can help you significantly cut down To clarify, not all tankless are created equal. I decided to
your wait time for hot water, but it does take a little know- lump these two together for sake of time and they are some-
how to install. Which brings me to the second myth. what related. First of all, I would never suggest an electric
tankless water heater for a whole house application with 2
Myth #2- Any one can install a tankless water heater. or more baths. I really only like electric tankless when you
To this I say absolutely not! Working with gas lines or are adding a bathroom to maybe a bonus room or an out
high voltage electricity is not for the faint of heart or un- building where no gas is available. In order to get an elec-
trained. Not only can it be dangerous, but if you install tric to perform the way you want it to, it takes a minimum of
a high-tech piece of equipment such as a tankless heat- 80 amps up to a possible 160 amps which is just not feasi-
er incorrectly, chances are you won’t be happy with its ble for most homes. When the heater cranks up your lights
performance. In my experience, most unhappy tankless flicker.
customers are victims of improper installations. Which
brings me to my next point of misinformation: But gas heaters ROCK!! Within the gas product line, there
are a few differences but even the lesser efficient models are
Myth #3- We can’t afford to install a tankless water still way better than their tank type counterparts. Tankless
heater. gas heaters come in mid-efficiency models (about 85%) and
Well this one is a little gray area. If you are looking to condensing units that are up to 98% efficient. That’s pretty
replace your 15 year old, 40 gallon tank-type electric heat- awesome if you ask me.
er for the same price, then you probably won’t be will-
ing to make the investment. But I do say, ask yourself So, to recap: yes, you can afford it. Tankless heaters are
how much you spent on that SUV in your driveway or super-efficient. And they are totally worth at least asking
the smartphone in your pocket. Value is in the eye of the your professionals a few questions. Which also reiterates
beholder. If you have a couple of teenagers in your home another point… hire a professional. You’ll be glad you did.
that like to take 30-minute showers, then you may not be Check out the what’s hot section for the ultra-efficient Na-
vien condensing tankless water heater.

Harnett Life ~ Spring 2019 Page 41