A tankless water heater is good for two reasons – it saves you money and provides constant hot water. With this unit installed, you don’t need to worry about the shower suddenly running cold. Besides, it doesn’t store a large volume of water, which makes it a very economical device.
On the other hand, it can only heat a certain amount of water at a time. If your household often has two or three showers running simultaneously, a tankless water heater might not be an ideal device. So, if you still intend to buy one, let’s first see what the installation process looks like.
According to WaterFiltersAdvisor, tankless water heaters are a very economical choice of providing hot water to your home.
Doing Some Preparations
Installing a tankless water heater requires some decent plumbing skills. It might even happen that local codes require a licensed plumber to do this job. However, if you know how to shut off the water in your house and cut and connect pipes, you can still do it yourself.
At first, you need to do all the necessary preparations before you remove the existing water heater. It’s not desirable to be stuck without hot water for days until the work is done.
Gas Heater
If you are installing a gas unit, you might need to upgrade the current gas meter. Because these devices use lots of power, along with other gas-powered appliances, your meter might not have a large enough capacity.
Also, note that a gas unit requires a proper venting. It would be best if you use category II stainless-steel exhaust pipes since the unit can produce a fair amount of condensation.
Electric Heater
If you want to use an electric heater, you will need a 240 V power outlet. You will need to install a subpanel next to the heater, so you can quickly disconnect power when needed. It’s a work that requires some skills, so you might need to consider hiring an electrician.
Removing the Old Heater
Once you’ve done all the necessary preparations, it’s time to remove the old heater. In most cases, what you need to replace is a storage water heater. First, shut off the valves on inlet and outlet lines that lead to the existing heater. You can easily disconnect them by using a pipe wrench or channel-type pliers.
Next, you need to open the drain valve and empty the tank. Disconnect the gas line and remove a small section of the vent pipe. If the old heater is electric, you might want to hire an electrician. The power of 240V is pretty high and can be very hazardous for non-experienced people. Of course, if you still want to do it yourself, please disable the circuit at the service panel first.
Installing a New Tankless Water Heater
If you’ve removed the old heater, it’s time to install the new one. You can install it against the wall or set it into the wall between studs. Both are fine, and you can’t go wrong with any choice. It mainly depends on what fits better in your kitchen.
The next thing to do is to route supply pipes to the heater. The water utility pipe should be connected to the inlet, and the pipe that leads to the house should be on the outlet. Then, you need to install shutoff valves on both tubes, and additionally a pressure-relief valve.
Before turning on the gas or electricity, open the water valves. Then, open faucets in your house and let them run for a minute or two. Shut off the valves, remove the inline filter, and clean any dirt. Once you’ve replaced the filter, open the valves and turn on the gas or electricity. Your tankless water heater is ready to use, but first, test it to make sure that everything works properly.
Conclusion
As you can see, installing a tankless water heater doesn’t have to be a painful experience. It does require some plumbing and electricity skills, but you don’t need to be a professional. When it comes to electricity, you should know exactly what you are doing. If you come upon any ambiguities, it’s better to call the electrician than to work around the dangerous stuff that you don’t have experience with.