What Type of Water Heater is Right For Me?

When your water heater is starting to reach the end of its life cycle, many customers have a hard time figuring out which type of water heater is right for them when they need a replacement. There are many different types of water heaters which makes this such a daunting task.

Luckily the Longview plumbers at Bird Dog Plumbing are here to help make your search as simple as possible!

Fuel Types

One of the first things to consider when selecting a water heater is what type of fuel will be used to power it. The two most common types are

• Gas –  Gas is used to heat most conventional forms of water heaters. It is widely available and has a relatively low energy cost. Gas also re-heat very quickly. This really comes in handy if you have a large family and know that multiple people will be using hot water at the same time.
• Electricity –  Like Gas, one of the major pros of electricity is that it is widely available. A major pro is that it does not have really any of the safety concerns that come with using a gas system. Electric water heaters are also smaller and easier to connect. Typically electric water heaters work best for smaller households. They are slightly slower at heating up water, and use more energy; so using them if you use lots of hot water is not super economical.

Types of Water Heaters

There are a lot of different types of water heaters. This is why figuring out which one fits your house best is so difficult. However, knowing which kind of fuel you are going to use narrows down the options. Here are some of the most common types of water heaters:

• Storage– Storage water heaters are probably the most common, and the ones that everyone pictures when they think about water heaters. They are basically large tanks that hold hot water from the top and heats up the cold water at the bottom. The biggest pros of theses are that they are so inexpensive to purchase. They are also really good for households that use lots of hot water at the same time. However, they waste a lot of energy due to the fact that they are always on standby.
• Tankless– Tankless water heaters are also known as demand-type or instantaneous water heaters. This type of heater does not store hot water. Instead, when someone turns on hot water, cold water runs through a heating element, which heats it instantly. However, since it heats water as it flows, the output is significantly lower than a storage water heater. Tankless water heaters are also much more expensive initially; however, they can be significantly more energy-efficient. The last major pro is that they last 5-10 years longer than storage heaters.

Hopefully, this blog has helped you figure out which type of water heater best fits your family. If you have any more questions or need us to come out to install that new heater for you, please contact the experts at Bird Dog Plumbing in Longview, TX.