How Do You decide Between a Traditional Water Heater and a Tankless Water Heater, and Which one is Better?

Are you in need of a water heater repair Santa Rosa pro? Santa Rosa Plumbing Service receives a ton of calls from customers that have an outdated, traditional water heater that is not functioning properly, or at all. And even though you do not see your water heater as often as the dishwasher, washing machine, or garbage disposal, it is arguably one of the most important appliances in your home. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t like to take a cold shower. When a water heater is not functioning, due to its manufactured simplicity, there are only so many things that can be wrong with it. For example, water may be leaking from the top or bottom, no hot water, limited amount of hot water, water is too hot, water takes a substantial amount of time to reheat, low pressure, it’s making weird noises, the water  coming out is dirty or rust colored or has a foul smell. Any of these issues may have you thinking is it time to find a water heater repair Santa Rosa specialist, or purchase a new water heater? And if you are going to purchase a new water heater, do you buy a tankless or traditional water heater?
Typically, the cost to install a water heater is anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000. The cost of a tankless water heater can range anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 and the cost for a traditional water heater is anywhere from $300 to $1,200. So anyway you cut the cake, if you are buying a new water heater you are looking at a fairly substantial expense. It may make sense to call a Santa Rosa Water Heater Repair service to get an estimate on water heater repair of your current appliance.
Let’s say you decide you want something new and do not want to call a water heater repair Santa Rosa specialist. Now you are confronted with another choice; how do you decide between a traditional water heater and tankless water heater?
Let’s start with a little education on the difference between the two types. Your normal, run of the mill water heater stores and heats up anywhere between 30-50 gallons, and this water is used anytime you require the hot water in your house (laundry, showers, dishwasher). The tank will refill and once again will heat the water. The tankless water heater uses electricity or gas to heat the water instantaneously whenever you require it.
Now that we have the difference between the two out of the way, let’s do the good old Ben Franklin T Chart, pros and cons. Traditional water heaters are cheaper and easy and inexpensive to replace. If you need a water heater repair Santa Rosa pro as well, often times they are cheaper to fix. Some negatives about traditional water heaters are that they often times come with a higher utility bill; heating and reheating water comes at a cost. They are cumbersome and quite large, can run out of hot water and typically last anywhere between 10 and 15 years. Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, are less expensive in the long run in regards to energy usage, take up very little space, can last up to 20 years and longer, and hot water is instantaneous. The downside is they are quite expensive ad if you are changing from a traditional heater, often there is quite a bit of work involved in making your home tankless water heater ready.
You may be thinking, I am just going to call a water heater repair Santa Rosa pro to come fix my traditional water heater, right? It is definitely not an easy choice to make. You need to take in to consideration your budget, what you can afford, how much water you are using, and the space these heaters take up. And in case you were wondering, Energy.gov states that a tankless water heater can save you about $100 in energy cost per year, which over time can easily make up for the higher initial cost, if you are planning on being in your home for a considerable period of time.
Let’s talk water heater repair. The average cost if you were to contact Santa Rosa Plumbing Service would be between $244 and $576 to repair your water heater. The total cost of calling a water heater repair Santa Rosa pro is directly related to the age of the water heater, the type, the problem  (is the gas supply part of the problem?), and if plumbing or electrical work is needed.
As a water heater repair Santa Rosa specialist we have a rule of thumb that we go by and suggest to our customers. If the water heater is 7 years or older, and depending on the water heater problem of course, we recommend that you replace your water heater with a new, traditional one. The cost to benefit ratio is in favor of purchasing new.
I hope you have found this information useful. Fixing and buying a new water heater is a substantial expense and not an easy decision. If you are a new homeowner, plan on living in your home for a considerable period of time (10 years or more), and can handle the tankless water heater cost, then we recommend going that route. If your traditional water heater is older than 7 years, we recommend purchasing a new one, and if less than 7 years, give a water heater repair Santa Rosa specialist a call. We here at Santa Rosa Plumbing Service would be more than happy to help. We are just a call away!
Also, for more information, visit our water heater repair page, which is one of the jobs we specialize in.

---