They vary in size, but average about 2 feet tall and a bit over a foot wide. Whole-house tankless units mount on a wall, saving you floor space and fitting into tight spaces. (They run on electricity, natural gas, or propane.) Heating water only when you need it eliminates the standby energy losses you get with a storage tank. Instead they heat water as it passes through the unit, using a heat exchanger to rapidly bring it up to temperature. Tankless: As their name implies, tankless, or on-demand water heaters, don't store water in a tank.
But tanks of 55 gallons or more will require even more space, depending on the energy-saving technology they use. Tanks that hold less than 55 gallons may be an inch or two larger. And keep in mind that because of recent federal energy regulations, a replacement storage tank may take up more space than your old one, even if it’s the same capacity, because newer ones are required to have more insulation.
But if you don’t have a basement, you may have to stash it in a closet-and that can be a tight fit.
If your water heater is in the basement, you might not mind the space it takes. Storage tanks can be 5 feet tall or taller and about 2 feet wide or wider. That means you're paying to have hot water whether you need it or not.
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Using natural gas, electricity, fuel oil, or propane, these tanks continuously heat water to keep a full store at the ready. The capacity you want depends on the size of your household and how much hot water you use (your plumber can help with the calculations). Storage tank: Storage tank water heaters typically have a capacity of 30 to 60 gallons, but the most common size is 50 gallons. You can see the results in our water heater ratings charts. "We didn't find meaningful performance differences that would cause a consumer to choose one brand over another."īecause the differences among models were negligible, instead of breaking out individual models for ratings like we do with most other products, our engineers grouped all the gas tankless units together and all the electric tankless models together, and compared the groups with their conventional storage tank models that run on the same fuel. “Whole-house tankless heaters are designed to produce a target amount of hot water-3 to 4 gallons a minute-and they did,” says Banta. “It’s a tough test,” says Banta.Īfter weeks of testing, we discovered that all the gas tankless water heaters performed similarly and all the electric tankless were equivalent in terms of performance. It's a draw totaling 84 gallons of water a day with a starting temperature of 58° F (plus or minus 2 degrees), and a target outlet temperature of 120° F. “That’s the equivalent of taking several showers, running the dishwasher, washing one load of laundry, and turning the faucet on and off multiple times,” says John Banta, an engineer who oversees our water heater tests. We based our tests on what’s called a “heavy use” industry standard. With the help of an outside lab, we conducted performance tests and measured energy use on the nine models we purchased, and calculated installation costs for storage tank and tankless water heaters, as well as how long it would take a homeowner to recoup the investment of a tankless water heater-called the payback time. “And buyer’s remorse is a powerful thing,” he says. He says that years ago, when plumbers were less familiar with tankless installations, homeowners complained that they weren’t getting the same water delivery they experienced with their storage tank. “They’ve come a long way,” says Geno Caccia, a third-generation plumber who operates a family business in San Mateo, Calif., with his brother. Considering that 90 percent of hot water heater installations take place during an emergency, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, that puts you at a disadvantage when you're negotiating with a prospective plumber or contractor to make the switch on your tight timeline.īut if your storage tank water heater is nearing the end of its useful life and you’re interested in saving space and energy, tankless water heaters are worth a look.
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Switching to tankless from a storage tank water heater is no easy swap because it requires a plumbing retrofit and possibly an upgrade to your electric service or gas lines to increase capacity.
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