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Hot water heater informationThis page will discuss different hot water heaters. I think some of you will be surprised to find out how many systems are available today. I will discuss the more popular units and provide you with informational links to the less popular units. Storage tank
Storage tank hot water heaters are the most common. They are the unit you think of when you think of water heaters(which you only do when you need one!). They come in sizes ranging from 30 gallons to 120 gallons for residential use. The fuel that heats the water is either gas, propane(also known as LP), oil electric, or solar.
The most common fuel used is gas/propane and electric. Natural gas is usually found in or around cities. Propane is usually found in the country. They basically work the same, so they will be lumped together for the purposes of our discussion. HOW THEY WORK Gas/propane hot water heaters use a burner to heat the water in the storage tank. You can set the temperature on the water heater to your desired level. When the thermostat detects that the water has dropped below that setting, then it will fire up the burner and it will heat the water back up to temperature. An electric water heater works the same, only it has an electric element inside that heats the water. There are no flames. GAS/PROPANE VS. ELECTRIC GAS/PROPANE- water heaters burn fuel to heat the water. Anytime you burn fuel there will be exhaust gasses. Those gasses need to be vented to the outside of the home. There are two types of venting systems. Standard water heaters vent straight up through a pipe or through a chase of some kind. If you are in a situation where you need to vent your water heater out the side of the home, then you will need a power vented water heater. Power vent water heaters have a fan on the top of them that periodically runs to push the exhaust gasses out of the home through a pipe which is usually PVC(the same white pipe material use for water). Some feel that a power vent water heater should be used in both applications. It provides a closed exhaust system which should eliminate the possibility of exhaust gasses leaking back into the home. PROS Gas storage tank water heaters are inexpensive to purchase and install. They last a long time. It is not uncommon to get 20 years out of a gas water heater. They are cheaper to operate than electric water heaters. CONS Must be vented which make installation more difficult that electrical water heaters.
ELECTRIC WATER HEATER- As stated earlier, they work the same as the gas models. They are typically more expensive to operate than gas/propane water heaters. You can reduce operating costs by purchasing a timer and attaching it to the water heater. You can program it to turn on a couple of hours before you need hot water. The rest of the time you can turn it off. Electric hot water heaters are easier to install then gas/propane water heaters because there is no fuel lines to be ran nor do they require venting. PROS Electric storage tank water heaters are inexpensive to purchase and install. They last a long time. They are easier to install than gas/propane water heaters because there is no venting or fuel lines required. A timer can be used to conserve energy. CONS Generally more expensive to operate as compared to gas/propane water heaters. DERERMINIG THE SIZE OF UNIT NEEDED If you have to replace your hot water heater, or if you are installing one in a new home, you may as well get one that does not run out of hot water very easily. Below is a chart that can help you determine what size water heater you will need. The way to use the chart is to determine the most hot water you will use in one given hour. For example, if 3 people take a shower within one hour, then 60 gallons of hot water would be required. Let say later that afternoon someone runs the clothes washer and the dishwasher with in one hour. For that hour 46 gallons(14+32) of hot water would be required. Peak usage for the day would be 60 gallons. Therefore, a 50 gallon water heater would provide enough hot water for the clothes washer and the dishwasher but would not provide enough hot water for 3 showers. A minimum of a 60 gallon water heater should be purchased for this house hold. Shower 20 × = Bath 20 × = shaving 2 × = Hands & face washing 4 × = Hair shampoo 4 × = Hand dishwashing 4 × = Automatic dishwasher 14 × = Food preparation 5 × = Wringer clothes washer 26 × = Automatic clothes washer 32 × = ENERGY GUIDE LABEL-SIZE AND EFFICIENCY INFORMATION Both electric and gas/propane hot water heaters will have an Energy guide label on them. Here is what the energy guide label will tell you.
1. Type of appliance and capacity - this tells you that this appliance is a water heater and the capacity(size) is 57 gallons. 2. Manufacturer and model number - this is self explanatory. 3. Energy efficiency rating information / estimate of energy used -this is good information. The government will test a different brands of water heaters that are similar to each other(in this case, water heaters with a capacity of 56 - 64 gallons). Then they determine what the most efficient rating is and what the most inefficient rating is and they put those numbers on the energy guide label. In this case the most efficient is 238 and the most inefficient is 273. As stated on the tag, these numbers represent therms which is how your gas bill is computed. The lower the therms, the lower your gas bill. 4. Estimated yearly cost to operate appliance and how estimate was derived -this will tell you the average cost to operate the water heater per year. The more expensive the water heater is, the more efficient it should be. usually, the extra money you pay to purchase a more efficient unit comes back to you, and then some, over the life of the unit. Now that you know what this tag means, you can compare the tags of similar units and determine which is the best buy for you. Demand (instantaneous)
With this type of hot water heating system there is no storage tank. The water travels through a pipe into a heating unit that is either gas/propane or electric(most are gas as it provide faster, hotter heat). The unit instantly heats the water sending it back to your tap.
PROS There is no storage tank. The water is heated instantaneously as it travels through the unit. Therefore you never run out of hot water unless the demand surpasses the units ability to heat the water. More efficient. Some brands claim to be able to lower your water heating energy costs by as much as 50% Easy to vent. It can be vented straight out of the wall. No flu is needed. Power vent models are available. CONS Expensive up front(some units are over $1,000). Demand water heaters should more than pay for themselves over the life of the unit. Some models do not have the heating capacity for excessive demand. In other words, if two people take a shower at the same time, both showers be on the cool side. If the washer is turned on, then all 3 will be cold. HOW DEMAND UNITS ARE RATED Demand units are rated by how much they can increase the temperature of the water at a given flow which is usually measured in gallons per minute or GPM. Check the Energy Guide Label on the units and compare them. This will help insure you get the unit that is best for you. DETERMINING THE SIZE OF DEMAND UNIT NEEDED I will tell you straight up that it would be much easier to have the supplier of the demand unit determine the capacity you need for your home. Obviously the more capacity a unit has, the more hot water you can use. However, if you want to make sure it is just right, check out this link. It gives you a detailed formula for determining the capacity you will need. Other heating units
Here are some good links to other types of hot water heaters.
Where to buyThe chain stores such as Menards, Lowes, and Home depot all sell both electric and gas/propane storage tank hot water heaters. They generally have good prices and will either install them themselves or recommend an installer.For other units mentioned hear, you will want to contact a plumber or mechanical contractor of your choice as they both can install hot water heaters. Personally, I like dealing with
Hedlund plumbing
for my plumbing needs.
Tanner Phillips installs storage tank hot water heaters. We would be happy to give you a bid. If you have any questions about water heaters, please
contact me
and I will get you some information.
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