Will a tankless water heater work for my house?

Tankless water heaters are fairly new to the market. They claim to offer great results, but they do not deliver. There are a couple main problems you may run into with a tankless water heater:

• In order to heat the water on demand, it must control the water pressure. As a result, a 70-gallon bathtub may take 20-30 minutes to fill.
• A "sandwich effect" occurs when turning hot water on and off. When doing dishes, you will get hot water, then cold water, then hot water. This is because without a storage tank, the water heats up quickly, triggering the thermostat to turn off the heater. But by the time the heater shuts down there is a new call for heat. The water heater runs again, but not before some cold water has passed through the heater. This "sandwich effect" can be controlled by buying a modulating water heater with a buffer tank.

Before you decide to purchase a tankless water heater, make sure you know all the facts!