If you're considering a tankless water heater for your Connecticut home, the brand matters, but choosing the right system for the house matters even more.
At Homestead Comfort, we look at the complete picture: your fuel source, available gas supply, incoming water temperature, household hot-water demand, venting and the location of the equipment.
For homeowners considering tankless, A. O. Smith is one of our primary water-heating brands, with options ranging from traditional tank water heaters to high-efficiency gas tankless systems. [homesteadcomfort.com]
We also evaluate the application itself before recommending tankless. Sometimes tankless is the right answer. Sometimes a traditional or high-efficiency storage water heater makes more sense.
Here’s what Connecticut homeowners should know.
Our choice for Homestead Comfort customers
A. O. Smith offers traditional gas and electric tanks, hybrid heat-pump water heaters, gas tankless systems and compact electric options. This gives us flexibility to recommend the type of water heater that actually fits the home rather than trying to make one technology work everywhere.
A strong gas tankless option
Rinnai has a broad residential tankless lineup that includes both condensing and non-condensing gas models. Its current SENSEI RX condensing products can operate on natural gas or propane. [rinnai.us], [dev.rinnai.us]
The important point: We don't recommend choosing a tankless water heater based on the logo on the front. We start with the house.
A great water heater installed in the wrong application is still the wrong water heater.
Before we recommend a tankless system, there are several things to consider:
Connecticut's colder incoming water is particularly important.
Tankless water heaters have to raise incoming water to your desired hot-water temperature. The larger that temperature increase, the less water a particular heater can generally deliver at one time.
That's why the maximum gallons-per-minute number on a manufacturer's brochure doesn't tell the entire story.
When we're helping a homeowner evaluate tankless, we look beyond the brand name.
How many showers, faucets and appliances could need hot water at the same time?
That's different from simply counting the number of bathrooms in the house.
Whole-home gas tankless systems require an adequate natural gas or propane supply. The existing piping needs to be evaluated as part of the project.
Gas-fired tankless water heaters have specific venting requirements. The location of the existing water heater doesn't automatically mean a tankless unit can go in exactly the same spot.
Minerals and scale can affect water-heating equipment over time. Water conditions should be considered when planning the system and its maintenance.
Tankless doesn't mean maintenance-free.
The installation should leave valves and service points accessible so the equipment can be properly maintained in the future.
A. O. Smith is a natural place for us to start because its lineup allows Homestead Comfort to look at the entire water-heating solution, not simply tankless.
A. O. Smith offers gas tankless equipment as well as conventional gas and electric tanks, hybrid electric heat-pump systems and compact electric water-heating options. [homesteadcomfort.com]
That flexibility matters.
If tankless makes sense, we can properly size a tankless system. If another technology makes more sense for the house, we're not trying to force a tankless installation just because that's what the homeowner originally called about.
The specific system still needs to match the home's fuel supply, water demand, venting requirements and installation conditions.
Our take: A. O. Smith is a strong starting point for homeowners who want to compare tankless with other modern water-heating options without locking themselves into one technology. Homestead Comfort installs and services A. O. Smith water heaters. [homesteadcomfort.com]
Rinnai is another well-established name homeowners encounter when researching tankless water heating.
Its residential lineup includes both condensing and non-condensing gas-fired tankless systems. Rinnai's current RX condensing line includes models designed for natural gas or propane applications. [rinnai.us], [dev.rinnai.us]
As with any gas tankless system, the equipment still needs to be matched to the home's hot-water requirements, fuel supply and installation conditions.
Our take: Rinnai is worth considering when you're researching whole-home gas tankless water heating, but proper sizing and installation matter just as much as the brand.
One of the most important concepts in tankless sizing is temperature rise.
If water is entering the heater at 40°F and you want 120°F water coming out, the heater needs to create an 80°F temperature rise.
That's simply an example, not an assumption about every Connecticut home.
But it demonstrates why a manufacturer's advertised maximum flow rate shouldn't be viewed by itself.
As temperature rise increases, available flow can decrease. Navien's published specifications, for example, show substantially different GPM ratings at different temperature rises.
For Connecticut homeowners, winter incoming-water temperatures therefore need to be considered during sizing.
Simultaneous demand matters too.
Two people taking showers one after another is very different from two showers running at the same time while the dishwasher or another hot-water fixture is operating.
We size around the way the household actually uses hot water.
No.
“Tankless” describes how the water is heated, not how quickly it travels from the water heater to your faucet.
The water sitting in the piping still needs to move before newly heated water reaches the fixture.
If reducing that wait is important, let us know during the consultation. Recirculation can be considered as part of the overall system design. Rinnai, for example, offers recirculation features on selected tankless systems. [rinnai.us]
This may be the most important part of the conversation.
We don't believe every home needs a tankless water heater.
Tankless can be an excellent choice when the house and hot-water demand support it. But depending on the existing equipment, installation requirements, fuel source and household needs, a conventional tank, high-efficiency tank or another water-heating technology may be the better solution.
Homestead Comfort installs and services both traditional and high-efficiency tankless gas water heaters, along with electric and point-of-use systems. [homesteadcomfort.com]
The goal isn't to sell you tankless.
The goal is dependable hot water from a system that makes sense for your home.
That's where we can help.
Homestead Comfort provides water-heater installation, replacement, repair and maintenance throughout Hartford, Tolland and Windham Counties. [homesteadcomfort.com]
Our Plumbing & Water team can look at your current equipment, household hot-water needs and installation conditions and help you compare tankless with traditional water-heating options.
Talk With Our Plumbing & Water Team
A. O. Smith is one of the primary water-heating brands featured by Homestead Comfort. We install and service A. O. Smith systems including gas, electric, hybrid and tankless water heaters. [homesteadcomfort.com]
There isn't one model that's best for every Connecticut home. The right choice depends on fuel availability, hot-water demand, incoming water temperature and the installation itself.
Rinnai specializes heavily in tankless water heating and currently offers both condensing and non-condensing residential gas systems. Proper sizing is still essential. [rinnai.us]
A properly selected whole-home tankless system can supply household hot water, but its capacity needs to be matched to simultaneous demand and the required temperature rise.
No. Hot water still needs to travel through the piping between the water heater and the fixture.
Yes. Maintenance requirements vary by equipment and water conditions. The installation should provide adequate access to the valves and other service points.
Possibly. The existing location, fuel supply, venting, drainage, clearances and overall hot-water demand should be evaluated before determining whether tankless is the best replacement.
There's one detail homeowners understandably don't think much about when choosing a new water heater: Who is going to work on it five or ten years from now?
Don't build shelves, cabinets or storage around the equipment in a way that makes valves and service points difficult to reach.
A clean installation is important.
An installation that can still be properly serviced years from now is even more important. Give us a call to review your exact needs. 860.870.8700