Tankless water heaters can be a real lifesaver. For those who are unaware of the benefits that come with tankless water heaters, by switching to a tankless unit, you never have to worry about running out of hot water again. How great is that?
Did you know that a conventional water heater uses energy 24 hours, 7 days a week? Numerous standby losses can occur when hot water sits in a 40-to-80-gallon tank all day. Not to mention, with a traditional tanked water heater, you are constantly at risk of the tank breaking and flooding your basement with several dozen gallons of water. After all, flooding occurs when you least expect it to. Fortunately, with a tankless unit, you don’t have a tank, which means that flooding is less than likely.
Although there are plenty of benefits to upgrading to a tankless unit, tankless water heaters do need to be repaired from time to time, too. Your unit’s gas line might have issues, the water inlets or outlets might get plugged, or you could even notice some minor leaks in the lines. The good thing is that these issues aren’t as stark as that of a storage-tank water heater. However, that also doesn’t make them any less problematic.
Common Tankless Water Heater Problems
Depending on the model and manufacturer, every tankless water heater acts a bit differently than the other. However, they all tend to experience the same issues, regardless of the manufacturer.
- Limescale buildup: When your tankless heater is exposed to hard water, lime scale can begin to build up within the system. This creates a layer of scale that can affect the heater’s efficiency.
- Exhaust venting problems: If the vent of your tankless unit has been installed the wrong way, this can cause the heater to break down over time.
- Internal corrosion: If there isn’t a proper channel to vent the tankless water heater’s condensation, gas-fired tankless heaters can be vulnerable to burner corrosion.
- Freezing pipes: If you have installed a tankless heater outside in a colder climate, you need to make sure that your water pipes are correctly insulated, so that they do not freeze during the winter.
- High water pressure: Too much water pressure isn’t a good thing. If the pressure gets too high for your tankless water heater to handle, then it is entirely possible that it could break down.
Common Tankless Water Heater Problem Solutions
Although there are quite a few issues that might plague your tankless water heaters over time, don’t sweat it too much.
Scale buildup can be fixed by getting your tankless unit cleaned annually. Venting issues can be solved by ensuring that your ventilation is set up the correct way. In the case of corrosion or high water pressure, just make sure that the proper venting is installed, and you have selected the right tankless water heater for your home’s pressure.
At the end of the day, the difference between a properly functioning tankless water heater and a poorly-functioning one is how well your tankless unit was initially installed. If you do come across problems with your tankless water heater, though, know that your issues can probably be fixed by a professional with relative ease.
If you need your tankless water heater repaired, get in touch with 3 Mountains Home Services today!
