Inline Water Heater
Inline water heater is another term used for tankless water heater. While tankless water heating systems are relatively new to the United States, it has been widely used in European and Asian countries for years. These systems enable you to save money on water heating costs and reduce your contribution to the growing carbon emissions in our environment.
An inline water heater only heats the water as you need it and does not need a storage tank. As the water flow sensor detects the water flow, the heating elements are turned on to heat the water to the desired temperature, giving you an endless supply of hot water for domestic or commercial use. Unlike a traditional tank water heater, an inline water heater does not put the heat to waste, so it is very energy efficient.
Tankless water heaters can be electricity powered or gas-fired. Electric tankless water heaters are safer and easier to install, because it does not require venting. Since it does not use hydrocarbon fuel, it also doesn’t poses a threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. A gas tankless water heater, on the other hand, which can be fired by either natural gas or liquid propane, typically delivers more hot water output. So depending on your circumstances and preferences, you may prefer one heater type over the other.
There are two versions of inline water heaters, the point-of-use (POU) heaters and the “whole house” heaters. The point of use is typically a smaller unit that can be installed under a kitchen sink or mounted on the wall of your bathroom. It typically serves one or two hot water outlets at a time. The whole house unit can supply the hot water demand for the entire house, with simultaneous use of multiple hot water outlets, making it an ideal water heater for bigger households.
Due to the efficiency of tankless water heaters, buying them may qualify you for a federal tax cut of up to 30% of the total purchase and installation cost. Using a tankless water heating system can reduce tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, decrease overall dependence on non-renewable resources like natural gas (when using an electric unit), and reduce the number of non-biodegradable storage tanks in landfills.