Tankless Water Heater in Durham, NC

Good candidates and poor ones

Tankless tends to fit well when:

• The house already has natural gas and a workable spot for a vent
• The household is small, or showers are spread through the day
• The current tank has failed and needs replacing anyway
• You want the floor space a tank takes up in a closet or garage

It is a harder sell for a large family with overlapping showers on an all-electric home that would need a panel upgrade to support it.

What the Department of Energy says

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that tankless heaters are 8% to 34% more efficient than storage models, with the larger gains in homes that use less hot water. They last about 20 years, compared with 10 to 15 for a tank. The catch is output, which runs about 2 to 5 gallons per minute. If a shower, a dishwasher and a washer all pull hot water at the same moment, demand can outrun the unit and the water cools.

Gas versus electric

Gas units usually deliver more flow and suit bigger households, but they need a gas line large enough to feed them and their own vent. Durham's gas utility is Enbridge Gas North Carolina, formerly PSNC, and service doesn't reach every street. Electric units need no vent but draw heavy current, which can mean new circuits or a bigger panel. Any gas smell means leaving the house and calling 911 or Enbridge at 1-877-776-2427 from outside.

Upkeep on Durham water

The narrow passages in a tankless heat exchanger are sensitive to mineral scale. Durham's 2024 water quality report doesn't include a hardness reading, so a water test is a sensible step before you buy, and it tells you how often descaling is likely to be needed. Most manufacturers call for periodic flushing and cleaning of the inlet screen regardless.

Permits and price

A conversion often touches gas piping, venting or electrical work. Durham City-County Building & Safety handles plumbing permits for the City and County; ask the plumber what your install requires. Cost depends on unit size and fuel, gas line upsizing, venting, electrical changes, where it mounts and removing the old tank.