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When it comes to selecting a water heater for your home, you’ve got options. The most common options are the traditional water heater, and the tankless water heater. While both effectively accomplish the same thing, there are some notable differentiators between them. This blog post will help you decipher the differences between traditional and tankless water heaters and help you make an informed decision when you find yourself in the market for a new one.

Traditional Water Heaters

Also known as storage water heaters, traditional water heaters have been household staples for decades. These are designed to hold a large volume of water in a tank, which is kept at a consistent temperature. Let’s dive into the benefits:

Lower Initial Cost

A significant advantage of a traditional water heater is the lower up-front investment. Traditional models are generally less expensive to purchase and install. This can be a critical factor for homeowners working within a strict budget, especially if it’s an unexpected expense.

Simple Maintenance

As we previously mentioned, traditional water heaters have a longstanding history. This translates to a wider pool of professionals that are skilled in the maintenance and repair of this type of heater, ensuring you have proper support at your fingertips when needed.

Immediate Hot Water Supply

Traditional water heaters maintain a large volume of heated water in their tanks, providing you with nearly-instant hot water. This is particularly beneficial for busy households with high hot water demands at peak times, like mornings and evenings.

Easier Installation

Installing a traditional water heater is typically less complex than a tankless heater, which means the installation process is comparably faster. This can translate to lower installation costs and less disruption to your home during install.

Tankless Water Heaters

Spoiler alert: the most significant difference with tankless water heaters is right in the name. These units ditch the large water storage tanks and instead heat water on demand as it flows through the unit. This design offers several distinct advantages of its own:

Space Savings

You guessed it, by eliminating the large water tank, these units have a considerably smaller footprint than traditional water heaters. They can also be mounted on walls, freeing up that ever-so-valuable floor space in the home.

Energy Efficiency

Tankless water heaters only heat water when it's needed, which translates to energy savings. This also means lower energy bills and a smaller environmental impact; benefits from multiple angles!

Continuous Hot Water Supply

Consider running out of hot water as a problem of the past if you opt for a tankless hot water heater. As long as the unit is properly sized for your household’s usage, it will provide a continuous supply of hot water without missing a beat, making it an ideal solution for households with higher usage.

At the end of the day, it’s important to select your unit based on your household’s needs, like space constraints, budget, hot water usage, and size of household.  Just as important, is working with trusted professionals to execute the installation effectively. The Finger Lakes Comfort team is skilled and experienced in the selection, installation and maintenance of both traditional and tankless hot water heaters. We can help you select the unit best suited for your needs, install and optimize the equipment to ensure it runs safely and efficiently, and handle any service needs that arise throughout the life of your unit. Learn more about our water heater and other plumbing services here.