Tankless v Tank Water Heaters: What's the Difference?

Water heaters are essential appliances. With the extremely important job of delivering hot water to each faucet in your home, it's important to do ample research on a water heater before you commit to it. One major decision you'll have to make is whether your water heater will have a tank or be a tankless model. Read on to find out the differences between the two, and to find out which one will suit you best.

What is a Tankless Water Heater?

Rather than keeping a reservoir of hot water, tankless water heaters heat water as it passes through the unit. This means they are heating water on demand rather than keeping a supply of hot water passively, which makes them very energy efficient. In terms of fuel type, tankless units are available as gas as well as electric water heaters.

What is a Tank Water Heater?

Tank water heaters, or tank storage water heaters, store all of their hot water in a tank in anticipation of future use. This means when you turn on a faucet, you'll have a large tank of hot water waiting to come your way. These water heaters are usually organized by size. Larger models are referred to as tall water heaters, while smaller units are called short water heaters. You can find both electric and gas tank water heaters, so it should be easy to find a model that suits your needs.

It's hard to say which style of water heater is better, but there are benefits to each. Let's break down the most important facts:

Though both types of water heaters vary in energy efficiency depending on the model you choose, tankless water heaters do tend to be more efficient. Having the ability to heat water on demand, rather than constantly keeping a large tank of water hot and ready for use, will always be more efficient. This will help you save money on your monthly bills, since it only runs when you actually need hot water.

The average tankless water heater tends to last longer than the average tank water heater. A tankless water heater can last as long as 20 years or even longer if properly taken care of, while a tank water heater usually caps out at around 15 years.

Tank water heaters are typically cheaper to install than tankless water heaters since they can realistically be installed into any home water system that has space for them. Tankless water heaters may require you to update your pipes to handle the new water load and tend to be a little more complicated to install in general. As far as maintenance costs go, it's usually easier to diagnose and fix an issue with a tank water heater, while a tankless water heater may be a little more difficult to fix. Though tank water heaters are cost-effective upfront, they tend to cost more in the long run than a tankless water heater.

There are many factors to consider when deciding between a tank and a tankless water heater. We hope this blog has helped you narrow down your choices, and we wish you luck in your hunt for a new water heater.