Electric Tankless Water Heater

I have an Electric Tankless Water Heater and yes it only heat water when it is needed if you can have the water heater as close as possible to the point of use. This will help with the time it takes to heat the water electric tankless units make it easy to design the system such that the heater is close to the point of use.

Electric tankless heaters are very small and if you can run a water line and an electric line to a location you can install the unit at that point. It's that simple. So where is a good place to install the unit. First it should be accessible for easy maintenance if need be. A 2 foot by 2 foot space on a wall is adequate. An excellent place I have found is behind a door in a utility room, closet or pantry. Also install them high up on the wall. I like to be at least 6 feet above the floor to the bottom of the unit. Another location is above the stool in a bathroom. This area is normally utilized for a storage cabinet but makes an excellent location. The unit can be covered with a cabinet facade or can be left exposed as the units in general are aesthetically acceptable. A review of your individual situation with your plumbing contractor should provide you the ultimate location.

Another consideration in supplying hot water quickly is the size of the water line from the unit to the fixture. I have had people indicate, " be sure and put in a big line so I get hot water quickly". This is not what you want to do. The time lapse between starting the water running and the arrival of the hot water depends on the volume of "cold" water that must be purged from the system. Increasing the line size one size, that is going from 1/2" inch line to ¾ inch line doubles the time required to purge the line and wastes twice the amount of water. A ½" line will adequately supply a kitchen sink faucet. So again this highlights the need to get the heater as close as possible to the point of use.