Water heaters are an essential part of every home. They provide hot water for comfortable showers or baths, allow us to clean our clothes and dishes as well as providing a reliable source of hot water for other chores. Many companies offer hot water heaters on a rental basis and of course you can always buy one outright and have it installed. Hot water heaters last a long time ranging from 10-15 years in most cases and they don’t really require a whole lot of maintenance although they can break down early or require maintenance from time to time so if you decide not to purchase but rather rent your water heater then make sure the rental comes with a maintenance agreement.

There are two types of water heaters. Storage water heaters and tankless water heater systems. Essentially they both do the same job, they turn cold water into hot water and of course that is self-explanatory from the name but the two systems are completely different in how they operate.

The one you likely have in your home right now is a storage water heater. These water heaters have a tank that is filled with water and continuously heating the water inside to allow for a large amount of hot water to be available on demand based on the size of the tank. These units are more costly on your hydro bill to operate because they are constantly heating the water inside the unit. The other type of water heater (tankless) does not store water in a tank and is a more newer form of technology than traditional water heaters. The tankless water heaters do not store hot water but rather when a fixture in your home needs hot water then the heat activates and provides hot water on demand as needed. This makes tankless water heater systems more economical to operate however one major drawback is that they are not capable of providing hot water to multiple applications at the same time. This limitation is part of the reason that traditional water heaters are still very prevalent and most common for homes. Tankless water heaters usually cost more to install in your home but an added benefit is that since they have no tank to store water, they can fit into very small and tight spaces allowing you to achieve the same hot water for that area of your home with the added benefit of some serious space savings.

Regardless of the type of hot water system you have installed in your home, the hot water system will need maintenance from time to time. It is advisable to get a how water system maintenance contract so that you have peace of mind knowing that a professional hot water tank or hot water tankless system expert will be available to help you if your hot water stops working. There is nothing worse than running out of hot water – especially when it’s shower time. Make sure you have a steady supply of hot water by signing up for a hot water system maintenance contract.