2007-12-30 17:28:30 · 8 answers · asked by zipperleg28 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
There are a series of heaters that only come on when 'hot water' is called for. some people refer to tank-less water heaters as 'on demand' but that can be a little misleading. When hot water is called for the existing water in the pipes will be pushed out by the 'hot water' resulting in some not so hot water for a few seconds.
The advantage is that with a standard water heater you are keeping water hot 24/7 at a cost for gas or electirc. With the new tankless you only use your gas/electric when necessary resulting in a nice savings.
Other factors to consider are the number of people in your house, number of bath rooms, dishwasher, sinks etc. the tankless neeeds to be sized properly and most important--vented exactly as manufacturer states.
The initial cost can be 2-3 times as high as a standard water heater but in the long run you will save.
I trust this will assist. Check out the web sites for Rinnai & Rheem.
2007-12-31 01:53:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
From my understanding it heats hot water on demand using either electric or natural gas. They're kind of expensive at the moment and the install costs are a little high.
2007-12-30 17:39:18 · answer #2 · answered by ed 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Small, on demand electic water heater. Think electric tea kettle
2007-12-30 17:36:13 · answer #3 · answered by IplayadoconTV 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The water flows through small tubing like ina radiator. The heat source, electric or gas, surrounds the tubing. Since it takes time for the water to go through the "maze" of tubing, it is heated quickly at the unit and then goes to the area needed. Hard water is a tankless heaters biggest enemy as it clogs the tubing.
2007-12-31 01:09:55 · answer #4 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
last time I checked, they are still not perfected to the point I would buy one... specially the whole house ones...
2007-12-30 23:53:41 · answer #5 · answered by prop4u 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The simple explanation is that the water flows through a coil (or some other sort of loop) that is heated by the burner (or electrical element) as it passes through. The flow of water is detected & turns the burner on. The actual process is a bit more complicated as there are flow detectors & safety devices & thermistors involved.
Noritz has a little flash demo on their website.
2007-12-30 20:44:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
the water is heated at point of use, a little more expensive up front, but worth it in the end in energy savings
2007-12-30 17:39:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
my guess is instead of it warming up the water in a tank it has probably a superheated pipe that the water passes thru to get warm
2007-12-30 17:37:14 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋