If you're making the switch to a tankless water heater in your home, or are planning a new home that uses tankless water heating, you'll need to decide where to put the main tankless unit. If it's installed in the wrong location, it won't heat or deliver water as efficiently, and you won't save as much energy — or dollars on your utility bills.
Unlike traditional storage-tank water heaters, a tankless water heater heats your water on demand, as you need it. There's no standby energy loss as water sits unused in a big tank. Tankless systems use either gas or electricity to instantly heat the water as soon as it receives a signal that hot water is needed (someone turning on the tap, taking a shower, running the dishwasher, etc.).
Sizing a tankless water heater is an important consideration, since in bigger households, you may need a main tankless unit, along with one or more point-of-use units located near remote or special water-demand locations.
Where Should a Whole-House Tankless Unit Go?
In most homes, the best place is near the main demand source, such as a main bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. The closer to the demand, the less distance the water has to travel after it's been heated. It will be hotter and will arrive quicker. In addition, less standing cold water will need to be purged from the supply line, and less hot water will be left in the line after the demand ends. In many homes, a hallway bathroom is positioned relatively close to a master bathroom, so installing a tankless water heater in this area would make sense.
However, you'll also want to consider where hot and cold water lines are located; and if you're opting for a gas-fired tankless system, where the gas lines and vents are located. Usually, the venting will need to be modified to accommodate the tankless unit.
For more information on tankless water heating in your Oklahoma home, please contact us at Air Assurance.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Accurate shot/Shutterstock”