Tankless water heaters have low maintenance costs, are more durable, and are energy-efficient. But just like any other appliance they also sometimes face issues. With time they may suffer from minor problems like improper water heating or burner issues. They are also known as instantaneous or demand-type water heaters, as they provide hot water only when needed. Since they produce hot water only when needed they don’t have any standby energy losses which are associated with storage water heaters. Hence, they save you a lot of money on energy bills.
Tankless water heaters heat the water directly without using a storage tank. When you turn the hot water tap on, the cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. Then either a gas burner or an electric element heats the water, and you get hot water instantly. So, you don’t have to wait for a storage tank to fill up with hot water.
Tankless water heaters are a great investment for your office or home. However, common issues can arise in these water heaters if something doesn’t work correctly.
Here are 3 common tankless water heaters problems that you may face.
Build Up Of Minerals
Minerals can build up in a traditional as well as in a tankless water heater. So, you need to keep a close eye on the mineral buildup inside your water heater. Water with a high mineral content is called hard water, the harder your water the higher the mineral buildup in your water heater will be.
The two most common minerals that cause scaly mineral deposits are magnesium and calcium. Hence, if you own a tankless heater it’s important that you check its water filter.
A traditional water heater doesn’t require monthly cleaning, but a tankless water heater needs to be cleaned more often for long-lasting life. If not cleaned regularly particles like minerals, debris and dust will build up in your tankless heater. This will make it difficult for the water to travel because due to the buildup the path toward the heat exchanger will become narrow making it difficult for the water to travel. So, to avoid this problem you need to regularly clean your tankless water heater and change the water filter.
System Overload
Another common problem faced by tankless water heaters is system overload. When there are too many simultaneous hot water applications running, such as multiple showers running, this can overload the hot water heater and shut down the system. If this happens with your heater you need to reduce the demand for hot water by limiting the number of simultaneous applications and reset your unit. But, if your tankless water heater faces this problem often you need to either upgrade to a tankless heater with more capacity or add a second unit. A second unit may seem like a huge investment, but it will actually save you a lot of money in the long run since you’ll use less water while waiting for hot water to arrive and less gas to heat the water.
Cold Water Sandwich
The most dreaded thing while taking a shower is a hot-cold water sandwich. This happens when your household takes back-to-back showers. When a member of your house has just taken a shower and you immediately go for a shower you will face a cold water sandwich. In a cold water sandwich when you turn on the shower you will feel the leftover warm water and will then get blasted with some cold water before the temperature of the water rises back up. This happens when the person who showered first just ended their shower as the warm water you feel at first is the trapped water from their shower and the cold water that you experience in your shower is due to cold water in the pipes between your water heater and your shower. To prevent this problem let shower your run a couple of minutes before jumping into it.
About Nor-Can Heating & Air
Nor-Can Heating & Air provides expert installation, maintenance, and repair services for all your HVAC units, including furnaces, via highly skilled HVAC professionals. Contact us for a free quote on any of our expert HVAC services.
