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Book NowTankless Water Heater Frequently Asked Questions
Tankless water heaters are popular upgrades for homeowners, but their substantial investment often leads to a number of questions. Check out these frequently asked questions regarding tankless water heaters for answers you can count on.
When you turn on the hot water tap, a tankless water heater springs into action, utilizing a gas burner or electric element to immediately heat the water as it flows through the unit. The speed at which the hot water reaches your faucet depends on the distance it needs to travel. Once you turn off the hot water tap, the burners or electrical elements power down, ensuring that you only consume energy when hot water is required. Unlike traditional tank-style water heaters that constantly use energy to maintain a preheated reservoir, tankless water heaters operate in a more eco-friendly manner by heating water on demand or “as-needed.”
Although tankless water heaters provide an endless supply of hot water, they don’t instantly deliver hot water on their own. Here’s why: as the cold water from the city flows through the tankless water heater, it quickly heats up and continues to do so until you’re done using it. When you turn off the tap, the flame shuts off and the hot water stops flowing, causing the water in your pipes to cool down. So, even though the tankless water heater heats the water on demand, you’ll still have to wait for the hot water to push out all the cool water from your pipes the next time you take a shower.
Tankless water heaters solve one of the most prominent problems that tank-style heaters have: durability. Even when well-kept, a tank heater will only last around eight years. However, a tankless water heater can easily last 15 to 20 years or more. Tankless water heaters are also almost entirely repairable, meaning almost every part can be replaced. With proper care and repairs when necessary, a tankless water heater may genuinely be the last new water heater you ever have to buy. That adds up to significant savings as the years go by.
Yes. While regular tank style water heaters also require maintenance, tune-up services are vital to the smooth, reliable, and energy-efficient operation of a tankless water heater. A tankless water heater is recommended to be flushed / maintained at least once a year. By keeping up with an annual maintenance of your tankless water heater, you could potentially have the same tankless water heater for years!
Both! Tankless water heaters come in both electric and gas-powered models, but the majority of them run on gas. Gas produces heat more efficiently than electricity does, and it takes far less time to warm up. However, all water heaters do still require electricity to operate as well. Most gas-powered heaters use an electric ignition system, and many others have electronic control panels to allow you to set temperatures and change other settings. Some models even have Wi-Fi connectivity so you can control them from a smartphone app!
There are 3 factors you need to consider when sizing a tankless water heater: how many people are living in the house, what demands may affect your hot water usage, and how big your home is. Every home and family is unique, so while you may get an idea of the size you need, it’s always a good idea to consult an expert to ensure you get a tankless water heater that is properly sized for your home and your needs.
Depending on your hot water demand and the number of bathrooms in your home, the cost of a tankless water heater will vary. While most tankless water heaters cost $1,200 to $2,300 for the unit, you can usually expect a full tankless water heater installation to cost anywhere from $4,700 and $8,300. Factors that can affect the overall cost are venting, water lines, gas lines, and any installation add-ons (such as water filtration, expansion tanks, isolation valves, etc.).
Right here from Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric! We are proud to be a dealer for several of the biggest brand names in tankless water heating, and that means we offer a wide variety of different sizes and models. We carefully work with you to choose the right model based on your needs, desired features, and your needed hot water capacity. Once we have chosen the right model, we’ll install it with our same legendary-quality plumbing craftsmanship and outstanding customer service.
There are 4 main factors that most often contribute to a malfunctioning tankless water heater: hard water, high water pressure, gas related issues, and incorrect installation. While age of a tankless water heater can affect gaskets, seals, and other components, performing an annual maintenance on your tankless water heater can help to reduce any chance of breakdown. However, if you do find an issue with your tankless water heater, give us a call to come out and take a look. Our team will quickly identify what’s going on, provide you with multiple options, and get it fixed for you that same day.
Choosing the right tankless water heater brand can seem like a big task, considering how many options there are on the market today. However, we have done the research for you and discovered the top tankless water heater brands.
Watch our video “Top Tankless Water Heater Brands” to see which brands made the list this year.
This is the standard tune-up that keeps a tankless system running efficiently and helps prevent avoidable breakdowns. Maintenance typically takes about 90 minutes and includes flushing the unit to remove scale buildup, clearing debris, checking gas lines, and doing an overall assessment to make sure everything is operating properly. In hard water areas, routine upkeep is especially important—and staying on schedule can also help protect manufacturer warranty coverage.
A neutralizer is a canister filled with media that’s installed on condensing tankless water heaters to neutralize acidic condensation before it drains out. This helps protect concrete, landscaping, and drain/sewer lines from damage, and it can also reduce algae buildup near the unit. In Los Angeles County, it’s commonly required for environmental compliance. Most neutralizers last around 2–3 years. Without one, acidic water can corrode pipes, stain surfaces, harm plant life, and even create slick conditions near the drain area.
A recirculation pump helps deliver hot water faster at sinks and showers by cycling water through the plumbing system—either continuously or on-demand—so you don’t have to wait as long and you can cut down on water waste. Replacements typically take 1–4 hours depending on the home and setup. Pricing varies based on whether you have a dedicated return line or a retrofit that uses the cold line, how accessible the water heater is, the type of pump (timer, demand, or sensor-based), whether hard water filtration is recommended, and if any electrical work is needed.
One quick note: with retrofit systems that use the cold line as a return path, the cold tap may run slightly warm at first. Dedicated return lines avoid that, and many systems use sensors or bypass valves to help keep the cold line cold.
Heat exchanger replacement is needed when the internal component that heats water becomes clogged with scale or fails due to age, hard water, or missed maintenance. Since the heat exchanger is the core of the tankless unit, problems here can lead to inconsistent hot water—or no hot water at all. The job typically takes 2–4 hours, but the final cost depends on the unit make/model, parts availability, whether the part is covered under warranty, how severe the scale or corrosion is, and how accessible the unit is. Regular maintenance can extend the life of the heat exchanger and help keep warranty options open.
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