PROS and CONS of Going From a TANK to TANKLESS Water Heater

Do you have a tank water heater? Is it Gas or Electric? Do you have a tankless water heater? Do you like your current water heater? These are questions only YOU can answer, so today we're going to talk about the pros and cons of both.

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Thanks for watching! I'm Roger Wakefield, The Expert Plumber, and welcome to my channel. On this channel, it's ALL about plumbing. We play games, we experiment, and we have FUN here, talking and learning about all things plumbing!
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Intro ► 00:00
Tankless Water Heater Benefits ► 00:31
Tank Water Heater Benefits ► 02:36
Tankless Water Heater Cons ► 04:06
Tank Water Heater Cons ► 06:29
Why some CAN'T go Tankless ► 07:43
Outro ► 09:04

[anman]

I love my tankless water heater, but there is one other con to them that I didn't hear you mention. You will not be taking a hot shower or bath during a power outage like you can with an old school tank heater.

[brandontuckett]

My situation is perfect for a tankless. In a vacation home you leave it for unknown amount of time so it’s not heating anything when your gone, when you get there it’s hot instantly you don’t have to wait for a tank to heat up if you turned it off. Usually you have many guests that use the vacation home tankless can handle there high demand. It’s true you can’t run more then 2-3 shower at same time but you can run them back to back as many times as needed.

[connordakan]

as a service tech this video is awesome! you had no bias on any of your reasons and it all is real things to consider.

[supremex]

I recently changed to tankless. The main reason was, I have a small house and we wanted to move our water heater outside. This frees up the corner in the laundry room for us to install a toilet and sink. Tankless seems easier to be external, so we went with that. Been happy since.

[MikeStamm]

I have a tankless water heater here in Phoenix AZ. Two things to keep in mind. One you mentioned is you have to have treated water. We have very very very hard water in the summer we are talking TDS in a range of 306-678 and total hardness in the range of 9.9 to 16.1 grains per a gallon. If you don't have treated water you will destroy the heat exchanger in as little as 2-3 years. The other issue is getting it to kick on in the summer with low flow. In the summer our tap water can no joke be 100 degrees plus. I was having issues because of that with the tankless not getting enough flow to only raise the shower temp 30 degrees or so. So it was causing sandwiching of hot and cold water and the water heater would cycle on and off in the summer. So your shower water would go from 120 degrees to 100 degrees then a few mins later it would kick back on. I actually solved this issue by popping the low flow restrictor out of my shower head. But far from ideal. But just something to keep in mind if you live in a desert or hot climate with warm hard tap water in the summer. Also common practice in Phoenix AZ is to keep the water heater in the garage. In the summer our garage can usually be 130 degrees plus. So in that case I would actually prefer one of the heat pump type tanked water heaters as it would be quite efficient taking that heat out of a hot garage. In addition you would get that added benefit of it cooling the garage a bit.

[pisces]

Went tankless couple years ago. Love it. One thing that wasn't mentioned, maybe because it wasn't an option: I set my tankless thermostat at 106 degreesF. Its just hot enough for showers and dishes, but cool enough where in a long shower, you get acclimated. I never use the cold valve when using hot water.

[darinsmith]

I'd really love a video going over pros & cons of the newer style high efficiency condensing tank water heaters. Seems to me like they might be a nice compromise (again in your case, you'd have to change the vent). The big freeze and power outage last year brings home another point: as much as I like electronic ignition, there's something to be said for a standing pilot--I at least had hot water during the long power outage. If I'd gone tankless (and I easily could as I have a red meter), then I'd have been hosed there too. Just 1 more case for a backup generator for things that rely on electronic ignition and fans (like my furnace).

[slydale]

I'm doing a shed to home conversion. It's just me. I own an electric tankless water heater also a multi split AC-Heating unit. My electric bill stays under $100/ month. It's a 16×40 cabin. Last winter, before the multi splits were installed, I took occasional "warm up" showers. Some really long ones. Never ran out of hot water. It's a great feature adding to an adventurous living experience. And even though I'm just one person, it has helped me save aLOT of money. Thank you for the reminder, it might be time to flush my lines.

[Vikingstw]

This is a great video to refer people too when they ask about tankless water heaters. I pretty much lay this out for people when they ask about them. I've also had people say they were not going to install them until the kids are out of the house... So right on, they will not get out of the shower.

[johncasey]

3-4 years ago we switched from a separate boiler and water heater to a combo wall unit. I LOVE IT!!! We have an older house that had one of those older, I think cast iron, boilers and it was a beast. On the positive side, our gas bill is easily 50% of what it was before. Also in the space we saved we could put a full sized chest freezer with room to spare. The only negative I have experienced is because it is one of those high efficiency units, when the Winters get to -30 Celsius, it can struggle to keep the temperature up. In fairness if we had a newer, better insulated house, it may not be an issue. For the handful of days we hit -30's, we just turn on a space heater and all is well. Does not detract from my love for this unit. 98% of the days it is just fine on it's own.

[wwilliams]

Great information!
Our tank water heater just died and we are now needing to replace it. I was considering a tankless water heater, but after watching this video, it seems it would be too costly and my ROI would not be a good one. Our heater is outside in the garage in an enclosed area however, there is not electric outlet and my gas fitting would also have to be upgraded to fit. Venting may not be a problem, since the current vent goes through the wall to outside, not much of a distance. My water lines also come from the top, so there's more cost involved there as well. So I'll be going with a tank again, and when we are on vacation or not home for long periods, I just turn the gas off so it's not constantly warming up the water...safer also!
Thanks again for the insight on the cons of switching over to a tankless water heater...much needed info!

[alman]

Bought a Paloma tankless over ten years ago. It's been a reliable water heater, keeps on tickin'. We never run out of hot water, that part is wonderful. The old tank took up a LOT more room. The Paloma is half the size as the one in this video and is out of the way. It's gas, but there's never been a problem in the house involving the other gas appliances. I've never regretted the purchase. I personally recommend any tankless water heater over a tank version.

[willgallatin]

I switched to an electric tankless 7 years ago now. No regrets on my part. As my old tank was in the basement I could not use a gas water heater, so electric was the only real option. I was changing over to a 200 amp service panel at the same time so power was not a big issue. Do note that some of the electric units can require as much as 100 amps to run when they are operating. I opted for a unit that is rated to heat 7 gallons a minuet to a temp. of 135, with a power draw of only 55 amps. More than hot enough to run the entire house.

[beekeepermariadelgado]

I had a 75 gal water and recently got a tankless along with a whole house water conditioner for hard water.

I LOVE ❤️ IT!
I had to get one because I am 64 years old and I do not want to wait till the water tank gives me problems as I age.
My husband and I installed the tank water heater 15 year ago and the guys who took it out had a “ B” of a time taking the tank out.

I will be installing new fixtures so I made sure the water was conditioned plus for tankless.

I still had existing outdoor piping for an old water.conditioning system long removed.

The tankless was installed quickly because of existing electrical, vent, gas so it was not an issue. Cost me about $10, 000 but we’ll worth it.
After years of neglecting my home it was time.
Next my kitchen, then flooring painting interior and exterior

[jaybee]

hi roger- I did an install of a navien tankless (also uses 2" pvc venting) in the basement of a house with the same exact issue as yours- 3" b-vent running through to roof. I just used the 3" B-vent as a chase to get to the attic. it passes code & it's super easy to do. although, I admit- this arrangement doesn't work if there's an offset in the vent, mid-story. also- navien is the only brand that is warrantied even if you're on well water. it helps that it's 100% stainless steel. the navien CAN use your existing 1/2" gas line, because it has a vacuum assist feature that ensures it will get the gas it needs, even through a 1/2" gas line up to 25' long.... with a little catch- the trunk line that 1/2" gas line is connected to still has to be sized to handle the total btu's of the new tankless plus the rest of the house.. .or it can produce negative pressures on the trunk line... which of course... isn't a good thing. in short- usually you still have to install a new gas line just for the new tankless. I like that the bradford model has the inlets on the top. very nice. oh- also, navien comes with a 15 year warranty on the heat exchanger.

[KPHVAC]

We have been installing Navien tankless units for years and they are amazing systems! I would only suggest switching to tankless if you are running out of hot water. It can be a big price jump to switch.

[mikeerin]

Redoing piping is easy work. Gas line is an issue for many. Definitely need to check on that. Every tankless I have installed, I have been able to keep the prior roof penetrations from the change out since the water heaters were mounted in the attic on 2 story homes or it was a single story home. Plumbers charge exorbitant rates for installing tankless units for such little work that is involved. It’s true robbery. My suggestion is have the united mounted and do as much as you can prior to calling a plumber. If you are not in a municipality that requires inspections, do it all yourself a save a ton. I have done this and it literally cost me about $100 more than the cost of the tankless bought from the orange big box store. Granted, I buy the largest unit possible. What is not mentioned in this video is that flow rate (aka demand) does make a difference on the shell and tube heat exchanger. This is basic thermodynamics. This is also why inlet water temperature is important to consider when going tankless. You could be in an area where you need 2 tankless units in series to get the desired outlet temperature.

[chrislavigne]

Love the video, not knowing anything about tankless water hears gives me a great perspective of the difference. I’ve always had a tank but never in a garage that you most commonly see. And recently bought a home with tankless and for the most part love it but one thing i dont like is you have to run the sink for a while till it starts heating up. Don’t remember that being an issue with a tank. Thanks again

[highoctaneadventure]

This video is super helpful. It’s a tough decision but we went through your process and came to the same conclusion. After looking at the ROI/savings, we stuck with a tank. It was $6, 000 to $8, 000 for the unit, upgrades to electrical and gas line and install. The savings in gas based on the indoor location of the tank would only be about $8.00 a month compared to a newer atmospheric vented 50 gallon tank. The savings aren’t as big as some sales people led us to believe because of how many more BTUs of gas are required compared to the tank. Also, the worry of running out of hot water knowing that it is “endless” would lead to longer showers and gas being burnt at 200, 000 BTUs. I realized this as much as many BTUs as a pool heater, which I guess makes sense since they’re essentially doing the same thing with a heat exchanger.

[ryanc]

I just installed a tankless a couple months ago. They are definitely a change, the biggest complaint I have about them is it can take an extra minute to get the hot water but, once it comes on it never stops. The biggest reason I did it was because the old water heater vent was barely passing code and was in a terrible spot in my bathroom. Had the perfect spot behind my HVAC stack, and had everything opened up for a remodel. Had to run new gas, vent, water and drain lines. Luckily my old neighbor is a journeyman plumber and helped me with all the plumbing. Would I tear apart my finished house to put one in, no. Would I put one in while I have access to everything and can do it easy, in a heartbeat.