Tankless water heaters are more compact and can heat up water as you use it.
Compare tank vs tankless water heaters.
Water heaters with tanks.
As their name implies tankless or on demand water heaters don t store water in a tank.
And there are limits to how much hot water can be produced per minute.
Tankless water heaters heat only the water you need when you need it eliminating the need for a storage tank.
They are smaller and more energy efficient than traditional storage tank water heaters but more expensive.
Instead they heat water as it passes through the unit using a heat exchanger to rapidly bring it.
This makes repairs fairly inexpensive if something goes wrong.
Tankless heaters however are more complex which makes repairs or replacement more challenging.
One of the first things to consider is whether you should get a tank or tankless water heater.
And storage tank water heaters while less expensive up front don t last as long as tankless options.
The doe notes that storage tank water heaters typically last 10 to 15 years while most tankless units have a life expectancy of 20 years or more.
With the option for natural gas or an electric tank water heater you do see some benefits to selecting the tank option.