Your home is a safe space for your family and one of the major motivators behind routine home improvements and maintenance is to keep it that way. Sometimes aging systems and appliances can represent multiple health risks in the home, so replacing these appliances is a smart investment for homeowners who care about the safety of their family.
"Challenges to safe hot water generation can be overcome by going tankless."
One key appliance you should consider for replacement is your aging water heater. After all, water heaters run on average for only seven to ten years before they begin to slip into increasingly unsafe performance. Unless you had your water heater swapped out right when you moved in, there's a good chance that your current appliance is already approaching the end of its maximum efficiency. Furthermore, as the appliance's performance becomes less reliable, the entire water heater becomes more likely to cause injury and accidents. These challenges to safe hot water generation can be overcome by switching to a new, high-performance electric tankless water heater.
New regulations mean more venting and more problems
Traditional water heaters keep a giant tank of water heated by perpetually burning fossil fuels, often natural gas. However, this combustion cycle inevitably leads to an accumulation of carbon monoxide that must be vented. As standard water heaters approach the end of their service life, the chances that the system's ventilation safeguards could fail and expose the home to carbon monoxide buildup increase considerably. Even worse, the Green Valley News pointed out that the latest generation of standard water heaters will require more ventilation than ever. Choosing an electric tankless water heaters allows users to circumvent this health risk entirely, as these compact appliances require no ventilation to function.
Aging tanks sometimes meet explosive ends
Good Housekeeping warned that homeowners should remain wary of the risk of standard water heaters, especially those stored in garages, as they can go up in a fiery explosion. The presence of fumes commonly found in the garage, such as gasoline or paint, is capable of igniting the water heater's pilot light. Flammable junk can also pose an explosion risk if stored too closely to the side of an active hot water tank. It only takes a small spark to cause a huge explosion – taking this risk lightly will put your family at even greater risk in the long run.
"Homeowners must remain wary of tank explosions."
Extensive, dedicated maintenance is required to ensure that regular water heaters do not degrade in efficiency and safety over time. Alternatively, families can simply change the way that hot water is heated in the home by switching to a tankless solution. The compact design of high-performance tankless models allows them to be installed just about anywhere, instead of being confined to small and enclosed spaces like the back of the garage. By eliminating tank-style water heaters from your home completely, you also eliminate a potentially life-threatening health risk from the home.
Tankless models offer reliable, accurate heat controls
Depending on the size and makeup of your family, some members may be more at risk to scald wounds from overheated water than others. According to the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, kids under five and adults over the age of 65 are especially vulnerable to burns and scald wounds. That's why it makes sense to invest in a tankless water heating solution with accurate and reliable temperature controls. High-performance tankless water heaters are required to meet strict requirements. After all, failure to properly regulate the heat and intensity of the home's hot water is a scald wound waiting to happen.
Some tankless models can even deliver hot water at a temperature range that is consistently accurate within a single degree. Typically, appliances with this level of accuracy have advanced temperature controls incorporated into their design. It pays to do the research and identify which appliances are capable of delivering the highest tier of of reliability. Doing so protects your entire family from unnecessary burn risks and can help to limit maintenance and repair costs in the long run.