A few days back, one of my clients came to me and asked, does a gas tankless water heater need a dedicated circuit?
Fortunately, I was able to end her quest for the query.
I know it's not only her but a quiet few of you would be inquisitive about does a gas tankless water heater needs a dedicated circuit, right?
But, before we dive deep into discussing the nuts and bolts of it, I would suggest you go through the below-mentioned post related to the gas tankless water heaters.
It covers almost all the essential information that you might be looking at in the context of a gas heater.
We would highly appreciate your feedback about the aforementioned posts in the comment section.
So, without any further ado, let's begin...
Does A Gas Tankless Water Heater Need A Dedicated Circuit?
First thing first, most gas tankless water heaters don't need electricity to operate.
However, if the heater needs electricity for power then definitely, the tankless heater should've its own circuit.
As per my knowledge and understanding, the only reason for which you might need electricity is a power vent.
And, if that is the case, then definitely, you need a dedicated circuit without fail.
Well, if you're a first-time buyer, then you might not be aware of the fact that high efficiency and assisted draft such as power vented & sidewall exhaust MUST be on a dedicated circuit.
As far as I know, even though you're a gas tankless heater if need electricity it would be for a minimal reason.
And, if that is the case, then you might NOT be needing a dedicated circuit.
Did I end your quench for the query?
In simple words, if you want electricity for the ignitor then you don't need a dedicated circuit for sure.
The reason being simple - you need less than 5 amp for the igniter.
Does a gas water heater need electricity to function?
To be honest, if you're planning to buy a gas tankless water heater then probability is very high that you'll NOT be needing electricity to operate it.
The power is ONLY required for ignition and control purposes.
On the other hand, if you're an owner of a power vented tank-styled gas water heater then definitely it will need electricity to function.
You might not be aware of the fact that most chimney vented gas water heaters that comes with a standing pilot are capable of producing millivolt electricity that enables the unit to be self sufficient in terms of electricity needs.
The gas valve can easily run on the electricity self produced by the unit.
Nonetheless, the gas water heaters that uses fans to exhaust the combusted gas would definitely be needing electricity to operate the fan.
In fact, majority of the tankless gas water heaters have electricity in them.
When you press the ignition button it pushes down before snapping.
It is actually mechanically compressing a piezoelectric element and the snapping or relaxing of it causes a reaction in the form of a spark which is sufficient to ignite a pilot light.
However, if you're new to operating a tankless gas heater then you may have to perform the aforementioned ignition step several times to get it work.
Don't worry, it's a part of the learning curve and will slow and gradually becomes better with time.
Once the pilot light is illuminated it will heatup a thermocouple electric generator which in return powers a small solenoid valve.
The valve is nothing but basically an electromagnet that allows the flow of the main gas.
Wrapping Up
So, does a gas tankless water heater need a dedicated circuit?
Definitely NOT until and unless your requirement is very specific.
In general, most of the tankless water heater need electricity mainly for ignition if any.
And, we've explained it very clearly how these heaters are capable of producing an electric spark on its own with any need for external power source.
Do let us know in the comment section if you think we've missed some points related to the topic.
Thank you, once again for being with us till the end.
That's all, as of now:):)
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