Every home needs a water heater just like every home needs a roof, windows and a floor. But how do you select a water heater that’s right for your home? Well, when it comes to finding a unit that can handle all your families’ needs, you need look no further than the traditional tank water heaters.

What are tank water heaters and how do they work?

As you might have guessed, tank water heaters consist of a large cylindrical tank that is often installed in the basement and can hold up to fifty gallons of water. So when you stumble into the shower in the morning and turn on the hot water, it is the water heater that is responsible for delivering that invigorating blast. The operation of tank water heaters is fairly simple—they store the cold water on the bottom and the hot water on top. When hot water is needed, it is heated by burners at up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and delivered to the home.

Average tank water heaters can heat about forty to fifty gallons an hour, which is often enough for even the busiest of households. Like most items, these water heaters have seen dramatic improvements over the years. The average tank water heater of today can not only hold and heat more water than before, but it is also more efficient than it has ever been.

As far as the energy that is used to power water heaters, most homeowners have the choice of either an electric or a gas model. As you might expect, each heater has its strengths and weaknesses. To begin with, a gas water heater can usually store and heat a bit more water than an electric one. However, electric heaters are often a tad more expensive to run. This, of course, depends entirely upon the average cost of electricity vs. gas prices in your area.

However, one clear advantage of a gas heater over its electric cousin is that gas heaters will work during a blackout and electric ones, obviously, will not. And though this might not seem like a big deal for city-dwellers, if you reside in a remote location, it’s not at all uncommon for it to take several days for the electric company to restore power.

The Problem with Tank Water Heaters

Although we’ve spent the last few paragraphs discussing the benefits of tank water heaters, we must confess that they are far from perfect. In fact, a relatively new type of water heater has proven far more efficient and affordable for all homeowners. The water heater we are talking about here is called the tankless water heater. That’s right. The tankless water heater does not actually store water rather it simply heats it before it is delivered to the home. That way there’s no heat or energy lost, because hot water no longer needs to be continually reheated when not in use.

According to most sources, a tankless water heater can save you between ten and twenty percent off your water bill. They also require less maintenance than tank water heaters and often come with longer warranties.