Should You Buy a Tankless Water Heater?
By Adam Brandenburg, Co-owner · Marketing & Technology
A tankless water heater is worth it if you want endless hot water, have room in your budget for a higher upfront cost, and are ready to keep up with regular descaling, which matters a lot with Hill Country hard water. If you want the lowest upfront cost, or your water is very hard and you don't plan to soften it, a tank or hybrid water heater is usually the better fit.
Why do homeowners switch to tankless?
- Endless hot water. A tankless heater heats water as it flows through the unit, so you don't run out.
- Lower energy use. There's no tank of water to keep hot around the clock.
- Longer life. With proper maintenance, tankless units commonly last 15 to 20 years.
- Space savings. They mount on a wall and free up floor space.
Will you really have endless hot water?
Yes, as long as the unit is sized for how much hot water you use at once. Say goodbye to cold showers at the end of a busy morning: a tankless heater keeps making hot water as long as you need it. But it can only heat so many gallons per minute, so if you run several showers and the dishwasher at the same time, it needs to be big enough to keep up. That's why proper sizing matters so much.
How much energy does a tankless water heater save?
A traditional tank heater keeps its water hot all day, whether you're using hot water or not. A tankless water heater only heats water when you turn on a tap, so you're not paying to keep a tank warm around the clock.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, tankless water heaters can be 24% to 34% more energy efficient than conventional tank heaters in homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water a day, and 8% to 14% more efficient in homes that use a lot of hot water, around 86 gallons a day.
How long do tankless water heaters last?
With proper maintenance, tankless units commonly last 15 to 20 years, compared with roughly 8 to 12 years for a tank heater here. Tankless heat exchangers often carry longer manufacturer warranties than tanks, too, so compare the specific models you're considering.
What does hard water mean for a tankless water heater?
This is the big one in the Hill Country. The minerals in hard water form scale inside the heat exchanger, which cuts efficiency and can eventually damage the unit. Tankless heaters need to be descaled (flushed) regularly, and the warranties we've checked from major tankless makers, including Noritz, Navien, and Rheem, exclude scale damage when water hardness is above 200 mg/L, or about 12 grains per gallon.
Many homes in our area are near or above that line, especially those on private wells, so we recommend pairing a tankless heater with a water softener. You can check typical hardness for your area on our water hardness by town page.
Are tankless water heaters compact and safe?
Tankless units are much more compact than tanks and mount on a wall, which frees up space in a garage or utility closet. Gas models still need proper venting and a correctly sized gas line, which is often larger than what a tank heater needed, and electric models can need a lot of electrical capacity. Those are good reasons to leave the installation to a licensed plumber.
What are the downsides of tankless?
- A higher upfront cost than a tank heater
- Regular descaling, especially with hard water
- Possible gas line, venting, or electrical upgrades
- You'll still wait a moment for hot water at the tap while the cooler water in the pipes clears out
Professional installation from Brandenburg Plumbing
When it comes to switching to a tankless water heater, you don't want to do the installation yourself. This job takes the expertise and experience of a professional plumber, and Brandenburg Plumbing has been serving the Highland Lakes since 1997.
When you hire us for your tankless water heater installation, we'll make sure the new unit is the right size for your home and that it's installed properly, and we'll dispose of your old water heater for you. We offer upfront pricing on all our services, so there are no surprises down the line. For what affects the price, see our water heater replacement cost guide.
If you're still weighing tankless against a tank or hybrid unit, or have any other questions, our water heater team is happy to walk you through the options.
