Submitted by David Heffner of Heffner Plumbing

A conventional tank type water heater will fire a minimum of seven times within 24 hours to maintain the water at its designated temperature setting. This occurs whether the homeowner is there or not.

A tankless water heater fires on demand. Turn a faucet on and the water heater turns on and immediately starts to heat the water. Turn the faucet off and the heaters shuts down. The concept is that simple. No more heating of 40, 50 or 75 gallons of hot water.

Another benefit of the on demand technology is an endless supply of hot water within the gallons per minute capacity of the tankless water heater. You can literally stand in the shower all day and not run out of hot water.

Life expectancy is another major difference between tank type and tankless water heaters. A conventional water heater will last seven to 14 years on average. A tankless water heater can last up to 20 to 25 years, twice to three times that of a tank type heater.

David Heffner is a licensed plumbing contractor in the state of Indiana and is bonded and insured. Heffner Plumbing is a highly rated company with Angie’s List and has received the Super Service Award every year since 2004. Heffner received the 2009 Contractor of the Year Award by the Greater Indianapolis Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (GIPHCC).

As of Dec. 23, 2011, this service provider was highly rated on Angie’s List. Ratings are subject to change based on consumer feedback, so check AngiesList.com for the most up-to-date reviews. The views expressed by this author do not necessarily reflect those of Angie’s List.