Choosing Between a Standard or Tankless Water Heater

Before going into how to choose a water heater, you must know that there is no right or wrong brand (some are built better than others) of water heater since they all use the same process. What you should do is buy a certain type of tank. There are two issues when deciding which type, though. One is the speed a given tank heats water, and the other is about energy efficiency. That being said, if there are only two people in your house, then you would not want the same kind as someone with 40 residents. Get it?

You ready for a lingo-fest? Good! A good, standard kind of water heater is one that has an exposed, hex-head, magnesium anode installed in it. That makes it easier to remove it for inspection without damaging it. In addition, it leaves space in the hot port for an outlet, or combination, anode rod comprising of an anode, hot-water outlet and dielectric plastic-lined steel nipple.

To make this decision a little bit more confusing, there’s also the question of warranty. If you’re deciding between a 6-year or 12-year warranty, the only real difference is that there’s an extra anode on the 12-year: either a larger-diameter hex anode or just a normal. There also may be a half-length outlet rod in the hot port. One thing you could do, though, is just put in a full-length rod. You’d save on what you'd pay for a longer-warranty tank. Plus, it’s easy to install!

One option you may consider is what they call a “tankless” water heater. Did we just blow your mind or what? Basically, a tankless water heater (or demand water heater) provides hot water only when it’s necessary. It’s like when you go on vacation, and you turn the heat off while you’re gone. No one’s home, so why end up paying for it? Sounds crazy, right? Well, it works like this: Whenever you turn on the hot water, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. An electric tankless water heater has an electric element that heats the water. In a gas tankless water heater, a gas burner heats the water. This all results in a constant supply of hot water. You don't have to sit around, waiting for a storage tank to fill up with the right amount of hot water.