Time for a new water heater?

By: Lisa Giannetti

The health of your water heater is directly related to either how much money you have in your checking account, or what your credit limit is at Sears. Seriously, it seems that I never blow a hot water heater until I have a few extra bucks in my pocket. It's like there is a group of "money monitors" that know that I've managed to squeeze together some extra bucks so they fry something expensive to get even with me. That's the way it goes when you're a homeowner.

Regardless of the reason that you need a new water heater, be it a replacement, a new installation, or just adding more hot water to cover the addition that you've built -- a lot has changed since the last time you looked at hot water heaters.

Ever consider going tankless?

Probably not. Most people rush off to the store and come home with a water heater that looks pretty much like the one they just dragged out to the curb. Slow down and take a minute to consider tankless before you buy.

Imagine owning a hot water heater that never runs out of hot water! I don't care how many kids you have at home (I have 3 girls), there will always be hot water ready to caress you when your turn in the bathroom finally arrives!

If endless hot water showers, even with the washing machine AND dishwasher running, isn't enough to have you grabbing your car keys and heading out to get your own tankless hot water system, consider this:

There are no storage tanks to rust out, and a tankless hot water heater is actually cheaper to operate. Not only that, but they are very efficient overall. Check this out:

In most models, cold water enters an intake and flows into multiple electrically heated chambers. The first chamber's job is to preheat the water before pumping it into the second chamber for another cooking session. Then, depending upon the total number of chambers in your particular model, the water continues along it's journey until it reaches normal hot water temperatures of around 150 degrees. Don't worry though, there is an electronic thermostat that you can adjust down if that's too hot for you.

All of this takes just a matter of seconds thanks to what is usually four 7500 watt heating elements pumping through 100 amps worth of electricity. Now hold on, if this gives you visions of spinning electric meters dancing through your head -- relax. Unlike your conventional water heater, which cycles on and off all day and night, wasting electricity like a lottery winner wastes money, a tankless hot water heater only consumes electricity when the hot water is running. The rest of the time it just sits there bored and waiting. Not one volt passes through it when hot water isn't being used. Depending upon your cost of electricity, your annual savings could be as high as $200 or more!

So, whether you're renovating, replacing your existing leaker, or just tired of taking a cold shower every morning, go tankless. You deserve it!