Emergency Plumbing Services

Posts Tagged ‘Heaters’

I think tankless water heaters have many pros – and a few cons or considerations. They were originally designed to be used in situations where a tank is undesirable and/or inefficient, such as a building with very minimal hot water demand. They are more commonly used overseas than in the US, because we are not conscience of or concerned about space or efficiency as much as we should be.

Since water is heated on an as needed basis you can save tremendously.Think about how much energy ( money ) is wasted heating a huge tank of water to a certain temperature and maintaining that temperature as water is being constantly released. There are other more conventional alternatives that may be as good or better. For example,dollar savings are diminished or even nonexistent if the alternative is a hot water system integrated into your gas or oil heating system. If the price of gas or oil is especially low in your area, a stand alone tank unit using these fuels may be competitive if you take the extra effort to superinsulate the tank (via wrapping the tank with insulation) and keep the temperature down to under 110 – 150 degrees depending on how hot you like your water to be.

There is a consideration you must understand before making a purchase decision on a tankless water heater. Tank-type water heaters can supply enough hot water to run multiple hot water appliances or showers at the same time, provided you install a unit that can handle your needs. Of course,they can run out of heated water,since they have a limited capacity.

Tankless heaters, on the other hand, have large drop-offs in water temperature as the water flow through them increases. The elements in a tankless water heater heat the water up to an adjustable maximum temperature. Keep in mind that you can not be taking a hot shower, running the dishwasher and the hot washer cycle at the same time with a tankless water heater – one negative feature. Of course, this negative feature can be overcome by changing your hot water usage habits… for example only using one hot water appliance at a time, scheduling showers at different times than other members of your family, etc. It would be best to install several TWH
( tankless water heaters ) in the respective areas in your home.Otherwise you run the risk of being in the middle of a nice relaxing shower and then running out of hot water! On the positive side, with a tankless unit you never run out of hot water, since it heats on demand.

There are a number of companies out there that sell these units. I can not give a product recommendation, but I would get their usage statistics prior to buying. Another possible source of information would be your local plumbing supply house and NOT a hardware store. They will sell them but they do not have educated staff to help you make the proper purchase.

When you aready to make the installation, consider a local, licensed, bonded, insured handyman for the job. 90 % of the time a plumber and an electrcian is definetely needed while other times a carpenter, drywaller/ painter is also needed to modify or repair an area where an old tank was removed. It is less expensive, less of a hassle and quicker to hire one person instead of potentially three or more.

Tankless water heaters are becoming all the rage these days. The credit to their spiraling popularity goes to their various advantages. Besides giving hot water instantaneously, demand water heaters considerably save water and energy. The heater does not involve a storage unit as in a traditional water heater. Thus, this unique feature eliminates the standby losses that occur in a storage water heater.

All of us are aware that saving on energy is one of the chief concerns these days. Many companies are producing energy efficient products to curb the demand of energy. The unique capability of providing hot water without storing facility makes the tankless water heater all the more useful in achieving the objective of conservation of energy.

The distinctive property of saving energy in a tankless water heater can be explained by the following:

When the hot water tap is turned on, the cold water is led through the various pipes in a demand water-heater unit. The heating unit is placed over several such small pipes. The heating element heats up the water flowing in the pipes to the optimum levels and the outlet pipe can be turned on to obtain steaming hot water at your disposal. Thus, demand heater provides an instant solution to hot water problem.

There are several applications where a demand water heater can be applied: Remote bathrooms and hot tubs at different locations of your house, Booster for domestic appliances like dishwasher and washing machine and booster for solar water heating equipment. A standard demand water heater can provide a consistent flow of 2-5 gallons of hot water per minute. For a standard household, this is enough. For a bigger family, one can install separate units depending upon the daily consumption. Ideally, a separate heater for appliances and bathrooms is sufficient.

The water heaters either can have an electric heating element or can be gas operated water heater. Gas fired demand heaters have a higher rate of water flow than their element counterparts do. The cost of a tankless water heater is significantly higher than traditional storage water heaters but in the longer run considering the energy saving and cost of operation, they are the best value for money.

The crucial part after purchasing a demand water heater is the installation. It is highly recommended that professional plumbers be contacted to get the job done smoothly and efficiently. A good plumber can provide you with all the necessary information and help you with installation of water heaters and other green plumbing equipments for residential or commercial purposes.

Engaging a qualified and reliable heating contractor such can save you the hassles of safety measures and other pre requisites. Manufactures include manuals and installation guides with the heaters in case you want to install them on your own.

However, a proficient plumber best installs a demand water heater and he can be contracted for yearly maintenance too.