There are a few things to consider when purchasing a tankless water heater.
If you read nothing else on our site, read this!
Tankless Water Heaters must be installed by a licenced professional who has obtained the appropriate permit[s] from your local municipality to insure code compliance. You, the buyer, must do your due diligence prior to making a purchase. Check with a licensed electrician to conduct a load calculation first. You will also need to check with a licensed plumber to obtain the appropriate plumbing permits. Failure to hire both a licensed electrician and licensed plumber will void your heater’s warranty.
It is very important that you consider the longevity and serviceability of your heater before you install it. You will need to plan your installation well and use the following components to extend the life of your heater. It is imperative that you install your heater using these components for the express purpose of making your tankless water heater last as long as possible.
NOTE: We give away these components as part of FREE Installation Kits with the purchase of select heaters on our site. These kits are valued between $101.80 and $161.90 purchased separately.
Select tankless water heaters with free kits can be found here: Tankless Water Heaters with Free Installation Kits.
Filter
We don't mince words when it comes to FILTRATION! The truth is that the single most effective way for you to protect your investment is with a sediment filter. Have you ever washed your car and let it sit in the sun too long before you dry? Maybe you ran a load in the dishwasher and forgot to use the blue magic liquid? WATER SPOTS! Thats what happens, you get water spots! They may seem like nothing more than a nuisance on your shinny clear wine glasses or on the windshield of your nice new roadster but in reality, the sediment in these water spots is a killer of tankless water heaters. Comprised of elements like calcium, lime and iron, and combined with the extreme temperatures of flash heating water in the heat exchangers and over the heating elements, the resulting build-up will damage the inner workings of your water heater. The calcification will build-up on the heating elements, effectively insulating them. This will cause them to overheat and eventually cause them to fail. In addition, the capillaries inside the heat exchangers will be come clogged and not allow water to flow properly. Not just any filter will do, check the filter description page here.
Connect
These are wire nuts. DO NOT USE WIRE NUTS! Why? Because wire nuts create electrical faults when used to connect the wires on a tankless water heater to your main breaker panel. Granted, some heaters we sell have direct wiring harnesses and do not require an additional connection but many other have a short length of wire extending from them and require some kind of splicing or connecting to existing wire. For eons, electricians have been using A/C Disconnect boxes to create solid, safe, and reliable electrical connections. In order to protect the electrical components in your tankless water heater, it is imperative that you do the same! It helps to think about your tankless water heater as a very large appliance in your home despite it's tiny size. You wouldn't think of connecting your central air conditioner using wire nuts would you? Read more about our A/C Disconnect boxes here.
Isolate
In order to properly service your heater, you are going to have to isolate it in your plumbing lines. Simply put, this means that we have to have a ball valve on the inlet side as well as the outlet side of your heater. Without these two ball valves, it would be more difficult to replace your filter media, remove, service or replace your tankless water heater or otherwise isolate the heater from your water supply. Why two? Well, that's simple. When you shut off the supply side, you have to remember that you have an entire house of pipes still full of water. If your heater is lower than these lines, the water will back-flow into the filter as you are changing it or into the hot side of the heater if you ever need to remove it. A little forward thinking goes a long way when planning your tankless water heater installation and we promise you'll thank us when it comes time to service your heater or it's attached accessories. Check out the ball valves here.
Relieve
In the grand scheme of life there are worse things than a flooded home but a flood ranks pretty high on the "I can't believe this is happening to us" scale. Combine water, being incompressible, mixed with heat which makes water expand and pipes that are naturally under pressure and you get a pressure vessel. Granted, THIS ONLY HAPPENS IF THERE IS A PROBLEM but if there ever is a problem with your tankless water heater, you want to make sure you (and it) are protected. So how does this little thing work? Well, attached to the supply side of your heater, we basically introduce a controlled weak point to your water line. If there is ever an over abundance of pressure it is best to know exactly where the water is going to go instead of risking a rupture, uncontrolled leak or a burst. By using a pressure relief valve, we can direct an overabundance of pressure out of your home or directly into your drain pipes, avoiding a flood situation altogether! See the tankless water heater pressure relief valve here.
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