If it’s time to upgrade your water heater, you may be trying to decide between all your different options. Should you get a traditional tank water heater, and if so, should it be a heat pump model? Or should you go with a tankless water heater?
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the various types of water heaters in Rochester, NY so you can decide which one is right for your family. If you have further questions, just give us a call and we are happy to help. We can talk to you about the options in greater detail and offer an in-home assessment where we review how each option would work for you.
Tank Water Heaters
A tank water heater comes in three different options: gas powered, electric, or heat pump operation. When it comes to tank water heaters, these options are all very similar when it comes down to the end result. What matters most is selecting a tank storage size that best fits your family needs. If you have a smaller family, you can probably go with a smaller tank. If you have a bigger family, you need to invest in a tank that holds more water at a time.
A gas powered water heater will heat up water more quickly, which may reduce the turnaround time between the tank filling up and getting hot again in between uses. Having a gas water heater may also lower your energy costs for operation since gas can heat up so quickly compared to electric.
If you don’t have the availability of a gas service in your area, an electric water heater may be the better choice. Although they heat up more slowly, they can also require less maintenance over the years compared to gas water heaters. This may make owning one a little easier when it comes to care.
A heat pump water heater works in much the same way that a HVAC system works as a heat pump. Heat gets absorbed from outside of the tank and transferred into the water. The downside to this kind of operation is that when temperatures are very cold outside, your heat pump water heater may not heat water as thoroughly or as quickly as you would like.
The good news is that most heat pump water heaters have the option to turn hybrid mode on or off. If you turn hybrid on, it will work as a heat pump when it is able to. When it doesn’t heat up as quickly, you can turn hybrid off so that it is operating as an electric water heater and using a heating element to heat up the water.
This can increase your energy costs for using the water heater compared to using it in heat pump mode. However, you won’t have to wait as long for hot water or worry about your water not being as hot as you would like. Plus you can use the water heater that way only when you need it most to save on energy costs the rest of the year.
Tankless Water Heaters
When it comes to having a tankless water heater, all of the above things about gas, electric, and heat pump water haters are also true about tankless models. The key difference in having a tankless model is that water gets heated on demand instead of heating up a tank of water and having it ready at any time for use.
This is another way to reduce energy costs because instead of having water that is hot around the clock, even when you don’t need it, your tankless water heater will only warm up water when you are actively using it. One of the biggest reasons people invest in a tankless water heater is because you have a nearly unlimited supply of hot water.
There’s no waiting for a tank to refill in between uses. You can take longer showers, take multiple showers in a row amongst your household, and do things like washing dishes and washing clothes using hot water without worrying about running out.
If you need help with heating services in Brighton, NY, contact Triple-O Heating Cooling Electric & Plumbing today! Schedule service with Triple-O Mechanical: Your One-stop Shop for HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical.