Tankless water heaters provide a convenient, energy-efficient option for supplying hot water to your home. Also called demand or instantaneous water heaters, these appliances heat water as it is needed. No water is stored in an internal tank, so there is no standby heat loss from hot water that hasn’t been used yet.
A tankless water heater provides a steady supply of hot water, but the unit must still be sized correctly for the demands you place on it. That is, it needs to have a high enough capacity to generate the amount of hot water you want when you want it. If you expect to have several devices, appliances or household tasks consuming hot water at the same time, you will need a unit large enough to accommodate that level of use.
Two important concepts in sizing tankless water heaters are flow rate and temperature rise. Flow rate is the total number of gallons of hot water you’ll need per minute to meet your highest level of demand. To calculate flow rate, make a list of the hot water devices you are most likely to be using at the same time. Add up the total gallons per minute of water these appliances consume. That total is the flow rate your tankless water heater must accommodate.
Temperature rise is the difference in the temperature of the water coming into your house and the temperature you want the heated water to be for household use. If the incoming water temperature is 55 degrees, for example, but you wish for your hot water to be 120 degrees, your tankless water heater must provide a temperature rise of 65 degrees.
Around the Clock Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. has been a trusted source of residential and commercial heating and air conditioning service since 1967. We serve customers in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, including Pasadena, Glendale and Santa Monica. Contact us todayfor information on tankless water heaters and whether one is right for your home hot-water needs.
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