Benefits of Outdoor Installation

Some tankless
water heater models are specially designed to be installed outside the
building. While an outdoor installation could look like a weird idea at first
thought, there are serious advantages in mounting your water heater on the
outer surface of your home’s wall.

The most obvious
benefit of placing the tankless water heater outside your home is that no
venting is required, be it for moving oxygen into the unit or for removing the
fumes. An outdoor water heater simply takes fresh air from its surroundings and
dumps the fumes in the same way. With venting, the installation is much easier
and quicker. Needless to say, this is also way safer than keeping the unit
inside your home. Another great thing about outdoors installation and one that
is mentioned less often than it should, is the proximity to the points of hot
water use. People sometimes install indoor tankless water heaters in remote
places like the basement simply because of venting issues. With no venting and
a greater leeway for choosing the location, you could put your tankless water
heater outside the bathroom wall, only feet away from your shower head. You
will find out that the water in the shower is getting hot much faster than it
used to. In fact, with the water heater located so close, you will get almost
instant hot water and that is a great way boost your home’s comfort and
efficiency at the same time.

Considerations

There are some
things you need to consider before you opt for outside installation. Firstly,
remember that outdoor tankless water heaters are only suitable for those
regions where the weather never gets too cold. Freezing temperatured will
quickly destroy your water heater and you will get leaks all over next time you
try to get hot water. Extreme wind and rain can also be concern. You should
make sure that your unit has some protection such a cabinet covering it.
Finally, outdoor tankless water heaters are sometimes stolen. These are
machines that can cost about $1000 so do not get surprised if some guy carrying
tools decides to pay a night visit to your yard.