Water Heater Rescue

Greater Vancouver Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters have been popular in Europe and Asia for over 20 years, and are now gaining popularity in North America, including Vancouver.

Benefits of Tankless Water Heaters

  • More energy efficient
  • Take less physical space (the size of a carry-on suitcase)
  • Endless hot water
  • Higher quality, longer life
  • Can increase home value

Endless hot water

You’ll never run out of water with a tankless water heater. However, since they only heat on demand, you may have to wait a bit for the hot water –  it’s not “instant hot water” like a traditional tank. Nonetheless, they are great for large families or homes with high hot water needs.

Note: your tankless water heater runs on electricity, so in a power outage, the unit will not supply hot water. Water Heater Rescue can install a back-up battery for your system in you’d like.

Measuring Tankless Flow Rate

Tankless heaters are compared based on flow rate, whereas traditional water heaters are compared on capacity, recovery rate, and first hour rating. Assuming you never use more hot water than your flow rate, you will never run out of hot water. This means that you have an unlimited capacity, zero recovery rate, and unlimited first hour rating.

Flow rate is usually measured in gallons per minute based on given heat rise (50-80 degrees). They range from 4-9 gallons/minute. To put it in perspective:

  • 4 gallon/min tank = 1 shower + 1 other hot water source
  • 9 gallon/min tank = 2 showers + 1 other large hot water source

Energy efficiency of Tankless Water Haters

Tankless water heaters often run at 82-98% energy efficiency (a measure of heat transfer from the energy source to the water). Since they heat on demand, they also save energy by not constantly re-heating and cooling water stored in the tank of traditional heaters. Tankless water heaters also maintain their efficiency over time better than traditional tanks where sediment can build up in the unit.

Did you know: tankless water heaters can often last 2x longer than traditional ones?

Cost to Install Tankless Water Heater

It can cost between $2,600-4,500 to purchase and install a tankless water heater. In addition to the cost of the unit, other factors affecting price include:

  • Cost to run a dedicated gas like to the unit (they can require up to 200,000 BTUs to run)
  • Installation of category 3 stainless steel venting or System 636 flue gas venting (may need to relocate unit near a exterior wall)
  • Installation of additional piping to relocate unit
  • Installation of dedicated power to the unit

Installations done in under-construction homes, or done to replace an existing tankless system, will cost less.