Tankless Gas Water Heater Electrical Requirements: All You Need to Know
While traditional water heaters were quite famous and changed the way we stored water, no one was prepared for the tankless gas water heaters. They don’t work like the traditional heater since they don’t have a tank and heat water when you need it rather than all the time.
If you’ve just bought a tankless gas water heater, you might want to know what it needs to give you the best possible service. Read on to see our compilation of tankless gas water heater electrical requirements.
What Are the Electrical Requirements of Tankless Gas Water Heaters?
Tankless gas water heaters don’t need much to function. Most tankless water heaters won’t need over 20 amps of electrical current to work. Most will work capably with 15 amperes given you are using them on a 120-volt circuit.
That current is enough to power the heater’s ignition and control board to ensure it heats water whenever you need it to. However, their electrical requirements will vary with the place you live and the type of power supply you get.
You must be wondering why a tankless gas water heater would need electricity? Well, that’s because it has a control board that requires electrical power to work. The control board ensures the heater reacts to the buttons you press whenever you need it to heat water.
You first need to know how the control board works in the thankless gas water heater to understand that. To know that, we will have to look at the parts that make up the tankless gas water heater and how they liaise to ensure the hot water gets to your cup.
Tankless Gas Water Heater Components: How the Control Board Works
Although a tankless gas water heater has many components, we will only look at the most relevant two. Those are the control board and the gas pilot light. The two major components are essential to its functioning.
- The Control Board
This is like the brain of the heater since it transmits information from all the other parts and allows the heater to work as required. Think of it as the communication center in a busy response center where all communication and thus information has to go through it first.
While the heater might be a gas heater, the control board only runs on electricity. That’s why you can’t rely on gas only to heat water. The control board will detect the water temperature before instructing the burners to come on and heat the water.
Without the control board, you can’t get the hot water on demand.
- The Gas Pilot Light
The gas pilot light signals the heaters burners to heat water under instruction from the control board. It is the gas pilot light, therefore, that enables the heater to heat the water whenever you press the buttons needed to heat water.
Why Choose a Tankless Gas Water Heater?
There are different kinds of heaters, but tankless gas water heaters are becoming quite popular. Why should you choose them in the first place, though? Are they better than the other heaters?
Let’s see how they compare to regular water heaters.
- Tankless Gas Water Heaters are Energy Efficient
The chief difference between tankless gas water heaters and their tank counterparts is that they don’t have to store hot water in a tank for when you’ll need it. Instead, they heat the water as soon as you press a button.
That makes them energy-efficient since they don’t have to spend a lot of energy to keep up to 50 gallons of water in a tank hot. That’s what distinguishes them from the tank designs that always need hot water in the tank.
Need we add that they only need electricity for the control board and not to heat water? They mainly run on propane or natural gas. They will therefore reduce the total cost of energy in your household. You will get more information about the energy efficiency of the gas water heaters.
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- They are Compact and Less Bulky
Besides the tankless water heaters being easy to install, they are also relatively compact. They don’t take up a lot of space since they don’t have a tank. All you need to do is install them next to the point of use. You can hang them on the wall next to the water source.
- You Get Hot Water All the Time You Need It
That’s something you wouldn’t get with a tank gas water heater. Tankless gas water heaters are more like on-the-go sources of hot water. They, therefore, would be a better option if you need a lot of hot water to use in something like a bathtub.
Before you let the above advantages convince you to go for a tankless gas water heater, you first need to know the downsides. There isn’t a bad side to anything after all.
- You’ll Need to Upgrade your Electricity System
Tankless gas water heaters have special burners that enable them to heat water on demand. The issue with the burners is that they won’t work with your existing electric service. That’s because they have special venting requirements that will most likely need you to upgrade.
- You Will Need a Large Unit for Your Needs
Tankless gas water heaters usually aren’t that large, and to fit a household, you will have to buy a bigger unit. The prices vary according to the different sizes you will have to fork out a higher amount for the perfect unit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q – Will a tankless gas water heater need a circuit breaker?
A – Yes. Tankless gas water heaters require a circuit breaker for their proper functioning. A single-pole circuit breaker of 15amps and 120 volts would be best for most tankless gas water heaters.
Q – Do I require special wiring for a tankless gas water heater?
A – Yes, you will need special wiring for your tankless gas water heater. You will need either a 120-volt circuit or a 240-volt circuit.
Final Thoughts
If you plan to buy a tankless gas water heater, the tankless gas water heater’s electrical requirements should come in handy. Get a tankless gas water heater and see how it’s better than the ordinary tank heaters.
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