Plumbing
Tankless water heaters in the Tri-Cities
On-demand hot water sized to your house. A-One plans the install, services existing units and descales heat exchangers clogged by hard Tri-Cities water.
Chapter 01
What changes when the tank goes away
A tankless heater does not store hot water. When a tap opens, a flow sensor fires a burner or an element and a heat exchanger warms the water as it passes through. The house gets hot water for as long as the heater can keep up, and the tank that rusts, leaks and takes floor space in the garage is gone.
The trade-off is that everything around the unit works harder. The heater needs the right gas line size or electrical service, a proper vent, a condensate line on condensing models, and a flow rate that matches the house. Run two showers and a dishwasher at once and an undersized unit runs out of temperature. That is a sizing problem, not a defect.
The gas control valve, thermostat dial and yellow flex gas connector on a strapped water heater
Gas, venting and sizing
The work is done in an order. We count the fixtures that can run together and work out the flow the heater must deliver, then pick a unit that meets it with a Tri-Cities winter in mind. Colder water coming in means more work for the heat exchanger, so a unit that is fine in July can fall short in January.
A gas tankless heater often needs a larger gas line than the tank it replaces, so we check the run and the meter capacity before promising anything. The vent is routed and sealed for the model, the water lines get isolation valves for later flushing, and the condensate is piped to a drain. We test flow and temperature at the farthest fixture before we leave.
Chapter 03
Descaling in hard water
Hard water is the enemy of a tankless heater. Calcium and magnesium bake onto the heat exchanger, narrow its passages and make the unit run hot, noisy or with error codes. A heater that ran quietly for its first few years starts to short-cycle or deliver lukewarm water because scale is insulating the metal.
The fix is to descale the heat exchanger on a schedule. That means closing the isolation valves, circulating a descaling solution through the unit with a small pump, and flushing it clean. A water softener upstream cuts the scaling. Ask A-One about the interval that suits your water and how you use the heater, because the answer for a two-person home is not the answer for a busy household.
A-One's plumbers install and service on-demand water heaters across the Tri-Cities. 2-Year Warranty on all service parts, with an optional 10 Year warranty on parts and labor.
PlumbingSince 1980
More from the A-One Plumbing crew
No hot water, a rumbling tank, rusty water or a puddle at the base. A-One tests the heater before replacing anything and tells you if it is worth repairing.
When the tank is done, A-One sizes the new heater to your household, sets it with new connectors and straps, and checks every joint before we leave.
Leaking pipes, failed connectors, stubborn clogs and water heater trouble. A-One's plumbers find the cause, explain the options and repair it.