It is a common myth that electric tankless water heaters are the “plug and play” variety as simple as that sounds, it is not that ‘simple’ installing an electric tankless water heater. We’d be explaining how and why we say that. First off, we need you to know that the installation of an electric tankless water heater is NOT considered a “do-it-yourself” project. This project calls for good plumbing skills, and local codes may require that a licensed plumber do the work.
However, if you can and choose to do get the job done yourself, you should know how to shut off the water to your house and how to cut into and connect new fittings and pipes to your supply pipes.
Table of Contents
- 6 Steps to Installing an Electric Tankless Water Heater
- 1. Find the Proper amp required for Installation:
- 2. Circuit Breaker Stress Test:
- 3. Check the manual properly:
- 4. Inside wire connections cheek properly:
- 5. If required need to install some additional:
- 6: Finalization of installation
- Why should I get an electric Tankless Water Heater?
- 5. Repairs
- Conclusion
- Your tools for setting up and installing an electric tankless water heater would be as follows;
- Frequently Asked Questions When Installing an Electric Tankless Water Heater
6 Steps to Installing an Electric Tankless Water Heater
Now in 6 well explained steps, we will be showing you the ropes on how to install an electric tankless water heater. Please take note of every precaution stated in your heater’s installation manual. Let us begin.
1. Find the Proper amp required for Installation:
In this first step, you have to find the proper Amp and watt requirement that need to install this unit. Don’t worry buddy just see the level of the unit you will find the watt and volt now divided watt by volt figure, you will find the Amp that needs to install your dynamic electric tankless water heater.
2. Circuit Breaker Stress Test:
In case of installing an electric tankless water heater; the capacity of the circuit breaker is huge concerning factor. So, it important to do the proper stress test of the main circuit breaker. In general, our team of expert found that all the amps power capacity of up to 80%. For example, if your tankless water heater unit needs 50 to 60 amps circuit breaker in that case you have to choose (60 X 1.2 = 72 Amps) breaker or more whatever the amps available near to that amps value in the market. So, please accurately do the math and compare properly cheek your existing circuit breaker if it matches then you do not need to set the new one.
3. Check the manual properly:
Check the manual instruction properly before installation.
If you found the manual is instructed to do the installation by a licensed plumber, then do what the user manual asking for. So, call a professional licensed plumber otherwise your warranty is invalid.
Check electrical rating plates properly that shows the voltage and wattage. It is the most important thing to do during the installation of the electric tankless water heater to get the best performance from the top tankless water heater.
4. Inside wire connections cheek properly:
In general, a tankless water heater unit needs 1 to 6 circuit breaker and wires are connected to those circuit separate terminals. At first, you need to discover how many circuit breaker needs your tankless water heater model. To find out an appropriate number of the circuit breaker, you have check out the manual carefully and set that breaker or breakers according to the manual.
5. If required need to install some additional:
This is true that Electric water heater is not able to heat up the water as fast as a gas heater. Basically, electric heaters use much electricity to serve on-demand hot water. Resulting, you have to take initiative to reduce energy consumption. Now you may ask a question in yourself; How I can reduce the energy consumption of a tankless water heater? Don’t worry, you can install a tempering tank to preheat the incoming cold water. Basically, the tempering tank keeps the lower thermostat setting which will ultimately reduce the energy consumption. On the other hand, if you want to recover the lower water pressure then you have to install a low flow showerheads. But be careful if the water flow moves slowly throughout the pipe then some of the flow sensor sensitive units may not be activated.
6: Finalization of installation
In this step, we provide all other steps of works reviews; what you have to follow to install an electric tankless water heater.
- First, you have to move to an existing heater.
- Do marking the spots where you want to install your water heater and open pipes cover.
- Maintaining your tankless water heater on to the selected place.
- Then you have to do the compression that comes with the fixture and install the water lines to the heater.
- In this step you have to remove air from the line then open the main valve and pass the water for 2 minutes through the line.
- To get the breaker and wire gauge size you will need to check electric codes.
- After the completion of installation re-check the connection.
- If all the connection is OK, then turn on the breaker and take look at the specific standby mode sign.
- If standby sign is OK, then set the temperature according to your demand and open your faucet your tankless unit start working to fulfil your demand.
Installing an Electric Tankless Water Heater
Why should I get an electric Tankless Water Heater?
Visitors to our website would ask certain questions as to why they should get an electric tankless water heater and what it’s benefits are. First off, we’d say that the best thing about these sort of heaters is that they heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. Either a gas burner or an electric element heats the water. As a result, tankless water heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water. Perfect right?
It gets better. Electric tankless water heaters are compact in size, taking up less space than conventional tank-type water heaters. They can virtually eliminate standby losses – energy wasted when hot water cools down in long pipe runs or while it’s sitting in the storage tank.
To us, the main advantage of installing an electric tankless water heater is that they eliminate the extra cost of keeping 40 to 50 gallons of water hot in a storage tank, so you waste less energy.
We have compiled a few things to keep in mind when planning to get an electric water heater and they are as follows;
1.Multitasking
Tankless water heaters are ideal for homes that do not need multiple hot water sources running at the same time. If you want to multitask with a tankless water heater, consider purchasing a larger unit to make sure there is enough hot water to meet your needs. Additionally, be aware that water temperatures may fluctuate as the heating coils keep up with the output of water.
2. Initial costing
It is only natural to want to save money, and Energy Star statistics state that a tankless water heater will save you an average of $95 per year compared to an energy-saving conventional water heater that can save you $20 per year. Although that may not seem like large savings, it amounts to approximately $1,500 more saved over a lifetime.
3. Space-saving
A newer trend among builders and homeowners is to maximize every square foot of a home. Not that there was a ton of wasted space in the past, but spaces such as under the stairs, utility closets, and garage space are now optimized for use. A standard water heater requires several square feet of space both in diameter and in height for it to exist. However, a tankless water heater is wall-mounted and leaves plenty of room for you to use the extra space for storage or other utility. Plus, if you are looking to sell your home and you have a tankless water heater, you have more usable space, which increases the value of your home.
4. Storage Tank Option
Although many people like tankless water heaters because of their lack of tank, it is important to consider whether you want a water storage tank. If you like having instantaneous hot water, or you plan on multitasking, you will want to think about adding a storage tank. Storage tanks vary in size and accommodate a range of needs.
5. Repairs
Tankless water heaters have many more parts than traditional water heaters. What does this mean? There is the potential for more repairs and thus more repair costs. You may say “that’s no big deal because the warranty will cover it,” but are you sure? Many companies are not offering warranties on these products because they haven’t been around long enough to know how long they will last, and many manufacturers are out of business before a repair is needed.
Conclusion
In this part of the best tankless water heater reviews, our team of expert actually try to sort out these easy steps that are anyone can able to follow and install an electric tankless water heater properly. At the same time to get the best performance from an electric tankless water heater unit. Please be careful during installation too.
Many people that do not have the power needs for a gas tankless water heater or who cannot vent a gas model will opt for an electric model because they do not require any type of venting. Electric models do, however, require substantial energy requirements. Please consult the owner’s manual before installing an electric tankless water heater, or click here to view a comparison chart of all of the units we carry.
The size of your breaker box and how many amps you have available is the most important thing to consider when purchasing an electric water heater. Depending on which electric tankless water heater best fits your home needs, the required amps will be 150 or 200 amps. If you don’t meet the amperage requirements stated in the installation manual, how do you plan to adopt? Some homeowners choose to add an additional breaker box to their existing wiring while others will replace their existing breaker boxes with bigger ones. Talk to an electrician or installer before taking the next step in buying an electric water heater to be sure you’ll be ready to put it to use in your home or rather install an electric fireplace insert
Your tools for setting up and installing an electric tankless water heater would be as follows;
- A screwdriver
- CSST supply line
- Gas line connector
- New water lines (as needed)
- Hanger brackets for the water lines
- Heat-resistant sealant
- A bucket
Frequently Asked Questions When Installing an Electric Tankless Water Heater
We’d be answering some questions customers like to ask before getting an electric water heater, just to give you an overview and a set pre-knowledge on what to purchase whenever you’d like to purchase an electric water heater for your home.
How much does it cost to install an electric tankless hot water heater?
A new tankless water heater costs between $1,500 and $2,000 installed, while a whole-house tank costs between $600 and $800. A tankless hot water heater costs around $430 without installation and a traditional heater costs around $440
How often do tankless water heaters need to be serviced?
During a regular maintenance visit, a professional will descale, also called delime, your tankless water heater to make sure there’s no buildup around the heating elements. A professional should descale your water heater at least once a year.
What are the benefits of a tankless water heater?
Tankless water heaters are compact in size, taking up less space than conventional tank-type water heaters. They can virtually eliminate standby losses – energy wasted when hot water cools down in long pipe runs or while it’s sitting in the storage tank.
What size electric tankless hot water heater do I need?
Average Temperature. For example, if you are running 2 showers at the same time, you will need 5 gallons of hot water per minute from the tankless water heater. If you were running a shower and the washing machine at the same time, you would need 4.5 gallons per minute from the water heater
What are the drawbacks of a tankless water heater?
Tankless units (also called “on-demand” units or an instant hot water heater) heat water only when you turn on the faucet. They usually operate on natural gas or propane.
How do I size a tankless water heater?
A. First off, determine the maximum number of devices you want to run and their total flow rate. Then, add up their flow rates (gallons per minute).
B. Determine required temperature rise. …
Let’s give an average sizing example: An average shower will be between 104–106° and uses 2.6 gallons of water. …
What is the lifespan of a tankless water heater?
An average of 20 years, Most tankless water heaters have a life expectancy of more than 20 years. They also have easily replaceable parts that extend their life by many more years. In contrast, storage water heaters last 10–15 years. Tankless water heaters can avoid the standby heat losses associated with storage water heaters.