Tankless Water Heater Types
If you are new to tankless hot water heaters then there are some basics you should know about. It can be overwhelming at first because of all the different types and models out there. It can be difficult to determine the best water heater for your specific situation. So what are the different types of tankless water heaters anyway? Let’s examine the basic types.
Tankless hot water heaters are powered usually with two main power sources. Most of these devices are either powered from an electrical outlet or by natural gas. In general the larger devices such as whole house tankless water heaters are powered by natural gas. The smaller point of use tankless water heaters tends to be powered by electricity.
When shopping for electric models is always a good idea to look at what manufactures refer to as temperature rise. Also, it is important to know the temperature of your water coming into your house. It is standard these days to have hot water to be outputted at 120 degrees. So if your incoming water temperature is 40 degrees and the electric tankless water heater has a temperature rise of 60 degrees than your water will not be hot enough at 100 degrees.
Whole house tankless water heaters are very popular option for new construction. These devices are responsible for delivering hot water to the entire home. These on demand water heaters are really quite impressive because of their ability to deliver instant hot water to multiple places within the house all at the same time. Let’s imagine this scenario. Your wife is taking a shower in the master suite upstairs. Your daughter is taking a shower downstairs. You are washing your hands in the utility room. All the while the dishwasher is running and everyone is instantly supplied with hot water without getting the shock of a cold shower. Of course for these whole house tankless water heaters to operate correctly it is very important to calculate how much water could be in use at one given time. You should really evaluate your showers as showerheads can consume a huge amount of water. It’s never a bad idea to look into purchasing a showerhead that is meant to conserve water. If you have a large house with many requirements for hot water at one time it may require that you install multiple whole house tankless water heaters to ensure that everybody gets hot water when they need it. Keep in mind that household tankless water hot heaters are more expensive and can cost upwards of a couple thousand dollars.
If for some reason you do not have access to natural gas then you may need to go with an electric version of the whole house tankless water heater. You may need to make some special accommodations by installing circuit breakers that are meant to handle such a load and beefed up wiring as well. This is because electric versions can draw up to 120 amps of power, which can overload the typical electrical panels.
Point of use tankless water heater is the other main device used today. These on demand water heaters are usually used to heat water for one device. For instance, one might be hooked up to a faucet in a bathroom on one end of the house. These units are almost always powered by electricity and usually have a much smaller capacity for heating water. The great thing about point of use tankless water heaters is that they are small in size they can fit in small places like under sink cabinets. Another great thing is that these devices are only a couple hundred dollars. Keep in mind that the cost can jump quickly if you have to pay a professional to do the install for you.
Filed Under Tankless Water Heater Basics | Leave a Comment
Tagged With
Comments
Leave a Reply