Rheem Tankless Water Heaters

Rheem tankless water heaters may be the answer for you if you have a natural gas or propane power source, and you are looking to upgrade from that old tank style water heater.

While Rheem is mainly known for their heating and air conditioning units, they have been in the water heater business for many years. Their tankless line is based on gas power, and they make units that are both natural gas and propane powered. According to Rheem, these units will save homeowners 40% less than an electrical tankless water heater, and about 30% less than a standard natural gas water heating unit. References and sources for those numbers were not provided on the Rheem website.

Rheem tankless heaters can usually be installed wherever your old water heater was, provided there is enough combustion air flow available. So there generally won't be any problem placing a Rheem water heater in your basement, attic, garage, or even a utility closet or room. These units are smaller than regular water heaters, so you will realize some space savings as well.

Rheem tankless heaters are more efficient because they do not have to operate all the time in order to keep the water warm. Consider how your current water heater always has to turn on to keep the water warm, it doesn't matter if your at work, gone for the day, or even away from the house on vacation, the water heater still keeps working. On the other hand, a Rheem tankless heater only turns on when you ask for hot water via your shower, dishwasher, or sink.

The energy efficiency rating on Rheem tankless hot water heaters is also very good. Energy Factor, or EF as it is called, measures how efficient different appliances are. The full line of Rheem heaters sport EF ratings over .80. In contrast, the average EF rating on a standard tank water heater is .62, quite a difference. Rheem heaters also have no pilot light, which cost money to operate, and also do not have any stand by loss.

The Rheem series of water heaters are labeled the RTG-42, RTG-74, RTG-53, and the 199 series. How do you figure out which one fits with what you have in your home?

Rheem makes it fairly simple, in that they advise based on the number of bathrooms you have in your house. While fairly simplistic, it does give you a general idea of which to choose.

If you have one bathroom in your house, the Rheem tankless RTG-42 is recommended. Next if you have 1-1/2 to 2 bathrooms Rheem recommends the RTG-53 series tankless model. Finally, if you have 3 or more bathrooms at home, the heavy duty RTG-74 series water heater is the one to look at seriously.

Now if you have special circumstances that demand even more hot water, Rheem or hot water circulating systems, you should get in touch with a contractor or dealer who is familiar with Rheem tankless systems for help in getting something a little more customized.

As with all natural gas or propane tankless water heaters, professional installation is recommended. Obviously its going to cost more, but you certainly want your tankless water heater set up right in all cases.