It’s safe to say one thing that many of us take for granted (yet couldn’t live without) is hot water. It’s something we expect to see anytime we turn on a faucet or hop in the shower. It’s as simple as that! This is a major reason why your water heater is such an integral part of your plumbing system, both for residential homeowners and commercial businesses. And if you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you’re well aware of the fact that hot water heaters are a popular service for our Kansas City plumbing technicians!
As is the case with the majority of our blogs, we always try to provide real world advice that any homeowner could implement. While we could get into all of the technical terms and other plumbing lingo, you just want tips that will make your plumbing system functional and long-lasting, right? With that all being said, this week’s blog is going to be another one focused on water heaters. When a customer inquires about a potential water heater project, there are a few variables to keep in mind. Making sure it’s big enough to supply hot water for your entire household. Making sure you know of the proper maintenance tasks needed to get the maximum years out of it. And last but not least, making sure you have the right type of heater for your needs and budget. With the final point, a major decision most homeowners are faced with is choosing between a traditional storage tank heater and a newer tankless model. We’ll settle this debate today, so you can decide which makes most sense for you.
Price
Throughout the course of this blog, we’ll evaluate each of the possible options based on various criteria. For obvious reasons, typically the first quality people look at is price. While the exact installation price may vary from plumber-to-plumber, you’re going to notice that tankless water heaters are always going to be significantly more expensive than their storage tank counterparts. There are plenty of benefits tankless models provide that aren’t attainable with storage tank options, but it’s important to understand the pricing difference when you start receiving bids.
Lifespan
Next in line on important details is how long you can expect the water heater to last. After all, most homeowners are going to want a unit that works effectively and provides the best return on their investment. While certain variables, like maintenance and usage, have an impact on the exact lifespan, generally speaking you can expect to get 10-15 years out of a traditional storage tank water heater, while tankless water heaters can keep going for 20+ years. Again, these numbers aren’t a guarantee, as several things can dictate the actual lifespan, but this is a good baseline to go off.
Brands Offered
Over the years, the water heater industry has undoubtedly grown more and more competitive. Just like many other aspects of the plumbing world, it can seem a little overwhelming sifting through the different brands and trying to determine which is the most reliable. Luckily, most professional plumbing companies should have good insight into this question, as they likely have plenty of experience installing and working on all of the big names. While there are a number of different brands for each type of water heater, we thought it would be best to list out some of our preferred ones here:
Traditional Storage Tank Water Heater – Chances are you’ve heard of many of these names a few times throughout your life or even had one installed in your own home, as these companies have been around for years. AO Smith, Rheem, Bradford White and Ruud are the most common storage tank water heaters that we install.
Tankless Water Heater – While a number of companies make tankless water heaters, we have seen the best results with Navien and continue to recommend them to our Kansas City-based customers.
Space Occupied
Even though you don’t necessarily buy a water heater for its looks, that could be an added bonus! This is particularly true if you have a finished basement. Simply put, storage tank water heaters do take up a little bit of space. Not a ton, but you definitely know they are there. On the other hand, tankless water heaters take up far less space and are attached to the wall. They have a modernized design and in our opinion, are more aesthetically pleasing. Again, if you’re putting your water heater in an unfinished basement or an area you rarely visit, this may not be a huge deal. Nonetheless, it is a differentiating factor that some homeowners consider.
Maintenance
In the section above about estimated lifespans, we hinted at the importance of maintaining your water heater. Assuming regular usage, if you don’t perform routine maintenance, your odds are much slimmer on getting the complete lifespan out of your water heater. There are a number of various inspection items that you can complete, but certainly one of the most important tasks is to flush your water heater. Over time, sediment can build up at the bottom of your tank and force your water heater to work harder. By performing an annual flushing of this sediment, you can help ensure your water heater is operating efficiently. Keep in mind that maintenance is recommended on both storage tank water heaters and tankless water heaters.
Installation Process
Our final characteristic that we’ll discuss is the actual installation process. This goes hand-in-hand with the final pricing, but is important to discuss. While every situation can be different and lead to an easier or harder installation, the installation process is generally more complex with tankless water heaters. In addition to a few other factors, this is also a major reason as to why they come at a higher price tag. Aside from this difference, you’ll want to make sure whichever plumbing contractor you hire has plenty of experience with both types. For one, this will ensure you don’t have to worry about any issues later on down the road. On another note though, you don’t want them to push you towards one type of water heater, because they’re inexperienced in the other even if it might be the better fit. Long story short, make sure to do your homework on any home services contractor prior to hiring them for a significant project like a water heater installation.
Water Heater Experts in Kansas City
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, water heater services are a major part of our plumbing business. From installing new ones and repairing existing ones to routine maintenance, the water heater is simply something every homeowner needs working on a daily basis. Throughout this blog, we broke down some of the main points in the debate between tankless water heaters and storage tank water heaters. To sum it up, there is no perfect answer, as it really does depend on someone’s individual needs. While tankless water heaters are growing in popularity, there’s no denying that storage tank water heaters are still extremely common.
If you live in or near the Kansas City area and are in need of some water heater assistance, we would be delighted to lend a hand. All of our plumbing technicians are trained and experienced on all things water heaters. They have the ability to work on any brand, type or size of heater to ensure you have hot running water in no time! To request a free estimate, you’re welcome to call our service team directly at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form on our website.