How To Install Tankless Water Heater

Tankless water heaters have a compact shape and sleek design with lightweight making them extremely easy to install anywhere on the wall you want. Moreover, the tankless heater brands also provide easy-to-understand manuals to help homeowners regarding how to install tankless water heaters without having a certified plumber install them. Converting to a tankless water heater is getting popular nowadays.

Going further, there are many YouTube videos and DIY water heater tutorials explaining tankless water heater installation so vividly that you think that it is a cushy job that can be done within minutes. But it is obvious that you must require prior knowledge in order to avoid any mishap. You need to have a tankless water heater maintenance kit to fix minor issues yourself.

Tankless Water Heater Installation Steps

As tankless water heaters are available not only in different sizes but in different styles powered by different kinds of fuels to run tankless heaters such as natural gas, propane, or electricity. Therefore, you need to consider many things based on fuel types. 

For example, for electric tankless water, you have to upgrade your electric system making it compatible with electric tankless water heaters. Similarly, if you plan to go for gas or propane, you need to have a proper ventilation system or gas pipelines to have a good experience. 

Most importantly tankless water heater installation kit makes installation faster and easier and saves your time and money. 

Gas Tankless Water Heater Installation

You may have this question about how to install a gas tankless water heater after buying tankless water heaters powered by natural gas. 

For a gas tankless water heater installation, I suggest you hire a professional plumber if you are a complete noob in this field. However, the following steps are essential to install a gas tankless water heater.

• First of all shut off the gas and water lines and drain out the water before removing the old tank. 
• Second, you require a large gas pipeline which will connect the gas meter to the gas instant tankless water heater to provide it sufficient gas to deliver hot water. 
• For a proper venting process, you need to drill a hole using a hole saw outside the house but closer to the tankless water heater. Then run PVC  pipes taking fresh air in and venting through that hole. 
• Use 3/ 4 “ copper pipe to connect the line supplying cold water to the tankless heater and hot lines outside the heater. 
• Being an on demand tankless water heater, an electric outlet is essential and must be installed near the tankless water heater. 
• The fixtures that are located far from the tankless water heater require crossover valves. This allows the built-in recirculation pump to keep hot water ready to deliver when the tap is on.
• Turn on all the lines including gas, electric and water to test the tankless gas water heater installation is right or not.

On the positive side, you must be aware of the tankless water heater installation requirements to make it a successful process. 

Electric Tankless Water Heater Installation

Different sized instant tankless water heaters require different electric requirements to run properly. Usually, a whole house tankless water heater requires a high amperage draw to be functional. You may need 3 separate dedicated 50A double pole breakers if you go for Stiebel Eltron 36 Plus. This tankless heater demands almost 300A total whereas the capacity of an average home is 200A. 

A small water heater designed as a point of use usually needs 240V to work and can run on 120V if it is designed to deliver low water flow. 

Important to realize that an electric tankless on-demand water heater installation cost is high if you go for professional installation. Tankless water heater installation costs may range from $1000 to $2500 as per the heater size and other requirements. Some tankless water heaters recommend the licensed installation of tankless hot water heaters. Otherwise, the warranty will void.  

Moreover, the DIY tankless water heaters can be very costly because of plumbing mistakes and may damage the worth of your home overall. 

Electric Tankless Water Heater Installation Requirements

To install an electric water heater successfully, you need the right tools and accessories. Below is the list of these tools and accessories:

• Mounting screws and brackets (usually come with tankless water heater)
• Piping 3/ 4” or 1/ 2 , copper pipes or stainless steel flex pipes 
• Valves including shut off and pressure reducing valves
• Double pole breakers
• Recirculation pumps
• Teflon tape 
• Sand paper
• Drill and screw drivers  

After buying a tankless water heater, how to install an electric tankless water heater yourself is the first question that arises. 

The following is the step-by-step guide explaining electric tankless water heater installation instructions.

• On the top of all, find out the suitable wall where electric tankless water will mount. 
• Next important step is to power off all the circuit breakers which are involved.
• Drain out the water and disconnect the old water tank. 
• Remove the screws to the front cover to take it off in order to install the unit on the wall.
• Establish hot (on the left side)  and cold (on the right side) water connections. The combination of stainless steel flex pipe 3/ 4” and Teflon is perfect and easier.
• Turn on the water applications for a few minutes to remove air from the pipes and heater. Also check all the connections for leaks. 
• Verify all the electrical connections to make sure that all wires are connected correctly. 
•  Refix the front cover of the tankless water heater. 
• Turn on the circuit breaker
•  Now configure the unit as per your requirements. Adjust the water temperature to get the desired output. Adjust again if needed. 

Note: It would be wise to install separate shut-off valves before and after the heater. This way you need not shut off the whole house electricity when tankless water heater maintenance is necessary.  

Where should a tankless water heater be installed? is not a simple question to answer. It depends on the space you have at your home. Installing a tankless water heater outside or inside depends on the weather temperature. Similarly, you need to mount it on a wall or in the cabinet purely depending on your personal preferences.