Tankless Water Heater in Lanham, MD

Lanham conditions

Lanham is a fully built-out inner suburb along the Capital Beltway next to the New Carrollton station, and the Lanham mailing address also covers Seabrook and other areas beyond the census boundary. Much of the housing went up in the 1960s, so many heaters sit in a basement beside the furnace, sharing its flue, and the gas pipe and valves around them are original. A gas tankless heater needs its own vent and enough gas pipe to feed a burner that runs much harder than a tank at full fire.

WSSC Water supplies water and sewer service, drawing from the Potomac River and the Patuxent River reservoirs, with chlorine disinfection and a corrosion inhibitor that protects pipes on customer property. No hardness figure is printed for Lanham, so ask the plumber to check before deciding on scale treatment. Gas is generally Washington Gas, though BGE serves some areas of Prince George's County; your bill confirms it.

Tank or tankless

Signs to act

• Water around the base of the tank or a rusty tank bottom
• Lukewarm showers when two people are getting ready at once
• A tankless unit that cycles, shows errors or delivers swinging temperatures
• Corroded valves or connectors on the pipes above the heater

Seasonal notes

Lanham winters bring colder incoming water, which is when an undersized tankless unit shows its limits, so size for January rather than July. Spring and fall are easier times to schedule the switch, and if the furnace is also near the end of its life, planning both together makes it easier to sort out the shared flue. Ask the plumber to flush the new unit on a yearly schedule from the start rather than waiting for flow to drop. If you smell gas, leave the house first and then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (927-4427), option 1, from outside.