Tankless Water Heater Installation in Zionsville IN

The Advantages of High-Efficiency Water Heating

Making the switch to a tankless system is a significant upgrade for your home’s infrastructure. When we evaluate a Zionsville home for a new unit, we aren't just looking at plumbing; we are looking at improving your daily quality of life and your home's energy profile.

Continuous Hot Water Flow

The most immediate benefit is the elimination of the "recovery time." A standard 50-gallon tank can be depleted in less than 20 minutes of heavy use. Once it is empty, you are forced to wait for the burner to heat the next batch. With a tankless system, the supply is effectively endless. As long as you have fuel and water, the unit will continue to produce hot water at your desired temperature. This is a game-changer for large families or homes with soaking tubs that require high gallon-per-minute (GPM) flow rates.

Superior Energy Efficiency

Traditional tank heaters suffer from "standby heat loss." Even when you are sleeping or at work, your tank is burning fuel to keep that 50 gallons of water hot, losing heat through the walls of the tank constantly. Tankless units only burn fuel when you turn on the tap. By eliminating standby loss, these high-efficiency units can significantly lower your monthly utility costs. Many of the models we install are Energy Star rated, utilizing condensing technology to capture as much energy as possible from the fuel source.

Space Optimization

Real estate in your home is valuable. A bulky storage tank can dominate a utility closet, basement corner, or garage. Tankless units are compact—roughly the size of a carry-on suitcase—and are mounted on the wall. This frees up floor space that can be used for storage, water softeners, or other utility needs.

Is a Tankless Water Heater Worth It for Indiana Winters?

Living in Indiana, we face winters that are notoriously harsh. A common and valid concern we hear from homeowners is whether a tankless unit can keep up when the outside temperature plummets and the ground freezes.

The answer is yes, but the system must be sized correctly by a professional.

Understanding Temperature Rise

The performance of a tankless heater is dictated by "temperature rise." This is the difference between the temperature of the cold water entering your home and the desired temperature at the tap (usually 120°F).

• Summer: Groundwater might enter your home at 65°F. The heater only needs to raise it 55 degrees.
• Winter: In a Zionsville January, groundwater can drop below 50°F or even 40°F. The heater now has to raise the temperature by 70 to 80 degrees.

If a unit is undersized, it will restrict the flow of water to maintain the temperature, leading to weak pressure in your shower. When Cornwell Plumbing performs an installation, we calculate your household's peak demand against the coldest Indiana groundwater temperatures. We ensure your unit has the BTU capacity to deliver a strong, hot shower even during a blizzard.

Can I Install a Tankless Water Heater in the Same Spot as My Old Tank?

Homeowners often assume that swapping a tank for a tankless unit is a simple plug-and-play operation. While we can often install the new unit in the same general utility area, the infrastructure requirements are quite different, often requiring modifications to the immediate surroundings.

Venting and Air Intake

Standard atmospheric gas tanks vent naturally, using buoyancy to push exhaust up a metal chimney. Modern, high-efficiency tankless water heaters are typically "condensing" units. They extract so much heat from the exhaust that the resulting gases are cool and can create acidic condensation.

• PVC Venting: We cannot use your existing metal chimney flue. Instead, we must install dedicated Schedule 40 PVC pipes for intake and exhaust.
• Side-Wall Termination: Frequently, this means running new venting out through a side wall of your house rather than up through the roof. This requires careful planning to ensure the vent termination is located safely away from windows, doors, and walkways.

Condensate Management

Because these units create condensation during the heating process, they require a drain. If there isn't a floor drain nearby, we may need to install a condensate pump to move this liquid to a suitable drainage location. Additionally, because the condensate is acidic, we often install a neutralizer to treat the water before it enters your plumbing system, protecting your pipes from corrosion.

Do I Need to Upgrade My Gas Line to Install a Tankless Water Heater?

This is perhaps the most critical technical assessment we perform. There is a misconception that because tankless units save gas overall, they use less gas instantly. The opposite is true.

The Demand for Instant Heat

To heat water instantly as it rushes through the heat exchanger, a tankless unit requires a massive surge of energy.

• Standard Tank: Typically burns around 40,000 BTUs.
• Tankless Unit: Can burn up to 199,000 BTUs.

Gas Pipe Sizing

If your current gas line is 1/2 inch in diameter, it is likely insufficient to supply the volume of gas required for 199,000 BTUs. If the gas line is undersized, the unit will starve for fuel, leading to error codes, system shutdowns, or fluctuating water temperatures.

During our consultation, we measure the length of your gas run and the total load of all gas appliances in your home (furnace, stove, dryer). In many cases, we will need to upgrade your gas piping to a 3/4-inch or 1-inch line to ensure the water heater operates safely and at full capacity. This ensures that turning on your gas fireplace doesn't cause your shower to turn cold.

Safeguarding Your Unit Against Mineral Buildup

Water quality in Zionsville and the greater Indianapolis area is generally hard, meaning it contains high levels of dissolved calcium and magnesium. While hard water is a nuisance for any appliance, it is particularly critical to manage for tankless water heaters.

The Scale Problem

When hard water is heated quickly, minerals precipitate out of the water and stick to hot surfaces. In a tankless unit, this "scale" builds up inside the narrow passages of the heat exchanger. Over time, this layer of rock acts as an insulator. The burner has to work harder and hotter to heat the water through the scale, which can lead to overheating and premature failure of the heat exchanger.

Maintenance is Key

To protect your investment, we install isolation valves (service valves) with every unit. These valves allow us to hook up a pump and circulate a descaling solution through the heater without dismantling your plumbing. We recommend this flushing service be performed annually. For homes with extremely hard water, we may also discuss installing a water softener or a dedicated scale inhibitor system inline with the heater. This proactive approach ensures your unit maintains its efficiency and longevity.