Hard water is notoriously problematic for traditional water heaters that use standing heated tanks. As hard water accumulates at the bottom of the tank, it creates a barrier in between the water heater’s heating elements and the water that needs to be heated. This reduces efficiency, causes performance problems and leads to breakdowns. A tankless water heater is an alternative to traditional water heaters that does not use a tank to store hot water. So is hard water still problematic for tankless systems? Today we’re going to answer that question by talking about how hard water affects tankless water heaters and why you should consider installing a water softener to protect your system!
What is a tankless water heater?
First, let’s take a moment to talk about what a tankless water heater actually is. As we mentioned above, tankless water heaters do not use a tank to store hot water like traditional water heaters do. Instead, tankless water heaters heat water on-demand whenever someone turns on a hot water tap. These types of systems have a heat exchanger inside of them. When hot water is requested, the heat exchanger heats up and water flows through it, allowing hot water to come out of the other side of the system.
How does hard water affect a tankless water heater?
Since tankless water heaters do not store water in a tank, they do not accumulate hardness minerals as quickly as traditional water heaters do. When hard water flows through a tankless water heater, some of the suspended hardness minerals attach onto the heat exchanger while others are flushed away by the sheer force of the water. As a result, limescale builds up inside of tankless water heaters, but it does so at a slower rate than it does in traditional water heaters.
Although it’s nice that it takes longer for limescale to build up inside tankless water heaters, it can also mean that you are unaware of scale buildup inside your system until it’s too late. As scale builds up over time, tankless water heaters begin to steadily drop in efficiency. You might notice this by seeing a slow increase in your monthly water heating bills.
When scale buildup on your system’s heat exchanger eventually gets too severe, the heat exchanger will begin to overheat. This can trigger a safety device in your water heater that completely shuts the system down.
Install a water softener to protect your tankless water heater
By installing a water softener in your home, you can remove hardness minerals and avoid scale buildup inside of your tankless water heater. This will ensure that your tankless system maintains consistent efficiency levels throughout the year. In addition, by eliminating the performance problems caused by hard water, a water softener will help prevent your tankless water heater from shutting down and can extend its operating life by a couple of years.
If you have any questions about the effects of hard water on tankless water heaters, or if you’d like a water system serviced or installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your water softener and water filtration system dealer in North and South Carolina. We provide service all over the Carolinas, including towns like Cornelius, Huntersville and Charlotte, NC.
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