water heater

Getting The Most From Your Water Heater

If yours is a typical family, daylight brings about a multitude of showerers and bathers preparing for the business day, child and home care day, and school day. Invariably, this entails a lot hot water hogging while various family members stand outside the bathroom doors shouting “Hurry up! I’m late!” Financial-conscious fathers mutter “What’s she doing? I could have bathed a baby elephant with that much water.” Woe to the last person in the bathroom line; he or she is the most susceptible to having to make do with a barely-tepid hasty dowsing. Showers, shampoos, baby baths, make-up applications, hair styling, even coffee-making all involve the strenuous use of the family home’s water heater. Thus, the water heater’s gallon capacity and the rapidity of its ability to heat much-needed water are of serious priority. Consider: even after family members depart for school or work, stay-out-home spouses still have laundry to do, dishwashers to fill, and floors to mop. Again, the water heater’s dependability and capacity is sorely tested. By the end of the day, when dinner dishes are washed, baby is bathed, and faces are washed, your water heater is the un-noticed hero; when you turn on the hot water faucet, you usually get what you expect and only notice this appliance when it’s not working.

What Kind Of Water Heater Is Best For Me?

That depends. If you and your partner are the only ones in the home, you will likely do well with a smaller water heater that has “instant demand” capability. This means that the heater turns cold water into hot water very rapidly. These water heaters need to be fairly small – around 20 gallons – to heat up quickly.

However, a family of four will do much better with a water heater with a capacity of 50-60 gallons to meet the morning, daytime, and evening needs of personal hygiene, cooking and cleaning. Once the hot water supply is depleted, it usually takes about an hour for the hot water to appear in your faucets.

Expense is another thing to consider when purchasing a water heater for your home. You can buy a good-quality heater for $300-700 depending upon how many gallons you require to meet the needs of your family and whether you also purchase a warranty (recommended).

Finally, your water heater uses a variety of heat sources; natural gas, electricity, even solar power. With electric heaters you don’t have be concerned about losing the pilot light as with gas heaters, nor does your hot water availability depend upon the strength of the sun. Electric water heaters are a bit more expensive; you pay extra for the assurance that barring an electrical failure, your family’s needs for baths, showers and clean dishes is assured.

Need Determines Size Of Electric Water Heater

Whether building a new home, remodeling an older home planning your current and future needs can help you pick the right size electric water heater so you don’t have to suffer cold showers.

An electric water heater is basically a storage tank into which cold water flows. There is a switch, which shuts off the flow of water when it gets full. Most electric water heaters have two electric elements, which heat the water and keep it hot until it’s used and replaced by colder water. Each element is controlled by thermostats.

While an electric water heater can be as small as six gallons or as large as 120 gallons, the average family can generally be served with a 52-gallon electric water heater. However, the larger the family, the more capacity will be needed. When planning your needs you should also plan for potential growth of your family as well as the frequency of visitors, which may increase your need for additional hot water.

An electric water heater offers several advantages over gas, for example, as not having to be vented and it can be installed closer to walls and they do not have a pilot light which requires a small open flame or a thermocouple to keep the pilot light burning, which generally needs replaced every year or so. There is also less chance of overheating.

Adjust Temperature To Your Choosing

Another feature of an electric water heater, like most others, is the ability to adjust the temperature of the water through the use of a thermostat. By raising, or lowering, the water’s temperature, it can be adjusted to the family’s liking.

Electric water heaters also have built-in protection for pressure build-up in the form of a pressure relief valve. Occasionally pressure may build up and if it reaches a point higher than the check valve on the water line, it could push the hot water back into the feed line. This pressure release valve will harmlessly release any over pressure. However, having a leak from the pressure valve may be an indication of some other problem, which needs attention.

While maintenance on an electric water heater is minimal, problems can arise and unless the homeowner is experienced in plumbing and electrical repairs, it may be best to leave any repair or replacement to professionals. This could lessen the time needed to male repairs, or replace the unit, ensuring you have the hot water when it’s needed.

The Mysteries Of Heater Immersion

As the prices of heating fuel soar, many homeowners have become curious about exactly how their home and the water in it are heated, are kept heated and how they might become heated in a more energy-efficient way. Some hot water heaters, for instance, heat the water and keep it warm until it’s used. Other types don’t heat the water until it’s needed, saving the energy needed to keep it hot. Many of the storage types use heater immersion to heat the water. With heater immersion, an electrical element fits into the side of the water tank with the thermostat extending to the exterior of the tank for easy use.

Types Of Heaters

The common storage tank heater can be made more efficient by adding a timer to your heater immersion device to heat the water at off-peak times when energy is less costly. Even if that option is not available in your area, your storage tank can become more efficient by the addition of insulation around it. The less heat is lost to the surrounding area, the less energy is used to keep it warm. You may have an indirect water heater system. This means that your furnace or boiler heats your water while it heats the house. Most often, hot water from a boiler circulates through a heat exchanger in a nearby tank. Less often, a heat exchanger coil filled with water to be heated circulates through a furnace then through the storage tank. Since the exchanger penetrates the tank in either case, it is similar to the heater immersion method. Using modern equipment, this is often the most efficient system. The storage tanks are efficiently insulated, the heating equipment is high-efficiency and the need for the heater to turn on and off is much less frequent.

The on demand water heaters don’t use energy to warm storage tanks. The most efficient ones use natural gas and an electronic ignition to save on energy used in a pilot light. Solar heaters are making a comeback from the 1970s. While the sun’s energy is cost-efficient, the start-up costs are higher since tax credits are no longer available. However, today’s less expensive units compare with electric and propane heaters over the lifetime of the unit while natural gas still beats them all.

Whether you decide on heater immersion, on demand, solar power or some other technology, the most efficient heater for you is the one that uses the fuel you have at hand, works for your climates and personal needs and best integrates with your existing water system.

The Luxury Of Hot Water Heaters

There’s an old saying: A woman is like a tea bag; you don’t know how strong she is until you put her in hot water! Although this truism is unquestionably accurate, it would be difficult to put it to the test without a hot water heater.

In industrialized nations, hot water heaters are just simply “there.” We don’t even notice that they’re working properly until, all of a sudden, they aren’t. When that’s the case, we start panicking about things like showers, washing dishes and doing laundry. We think of all the things that are part of our everyday living, realizing that until the hot water heater is working, languishing in a warm bubble bath is a thing of the past.

What we take for granted – that hot water will spew forth on command when we turn on the faucet – other civilizations view as a luxury. In some parts of the world, even in some parts of remote, rural America, hot water heaters are non-existent. For example, the Aboriginal people of Australia and North America still haul water from streams and rivers in buckets, heating the water over an open fire. Why, we wonder, do they continue this practice when they know that all they have to do is flick a switch on a hot water heater, and it’s time to wash clothes? Respect for the traditions of their people, plain and simple. Sometimes what’s “easy” isn’t always “best.”

In most of the world, there’s a hot water heater in every basement or closet. Its capacity and rapidity of heating depends upon the number of family members who find hot water essential at various times of the day. With a capacity of 50-60 gallons, hot water heaters aren’t viewed as a luxury, but as a “given.” They replaced the burden of hauling and heating water from the nearby stream. But they also replaced the pleasant social interactions that once accompanied water-bearing, plus the self-esteem building that comes from viewing a job well-done.

How Dependable Are Hot Water Heaters?

If you live in a house most of your adult life – raising a family and doing all the activities that we cherish as a people, your hot water heater should last up to fifteen years, perhaps even more. These appliances are built for endurance and heavy use; another luxury. But of course, something’s bound to go wrong sooner or later, and your heater will need either repair or maintenance. Whether your hot water heater is power by natural gas or electricity, or even by solar power, there are some definite warning signs that tell you it’s time to call a repairman: (1) When you stop getting hot water from a faucet, (2) When you smell gas in the air near the heater, (3) When the appliance is sparking electricity or (4) When you notice a puddle of water near the hot water heater. Most of the time a simple repair job takes care of the problem, but there might also be a time for the heater to be replaced. Plan to spend about $300-$700, and you’ll return to luxury.

Selecting And Maintaining A Gas Water Heater

We’ve all been there; you’re having overnight guests, including your special gourmet dinner meal. It’s seven o’clock, and the doorbell rings. They’re here! Time for you to shine.

The unforeseen and unthinkable happens; you start washing dishes as your guests settle into their accommodations. You expect plenty of hot water for dishwashing and evening bathing by your guests, but the faucet spews only cool water. Panic sets in; what happened?

To your dismay, you find that your gas water heater has died a sudden, inconvenient death. The repairman, whom you are paying overtime, gives you the bad news; your gas water heater won’t hold a pilot light. He can’t fix it; it must be replaced. No, he can’t do it tonight; your guests are stuck with cold showers.

Choosing And Maintaining The Right Gas Water Heater

The above social nightmare is actually a rare occurrence. Gas water heaters are generally durable and easy to service and maintain. Depending on the brand, they can last for up to fifteen years, trouble-free. Using clean-burning natural gas as fuel, gas water heaters rarely lose their pilot light. Even when they do, re-lighting the pilot is often a simple job completed in five minutes. Just follow the instructions located in the customer’s manual. If the pilot won’t re-light, then it’s time to call a service technician; something’s amiss that you can’t fix on your own.

Before you choose a gas water heater, carefully consider your hot water consumption needs. The amount of hot water needed by a couple is far less than that required by a family of five. However, couples who plan to eventually have children should take this into consideration; what serves them well now – a twenty-gallon capacity gas water heater – will change considerably when the children arrive! Parents with several children will reduce their hot water needs when the children eventually leave home. Marketers of gas water heaters generally recommend a capacity of 50-70 gallons; it’s better to have more than you need than less than you need. Heaters with this capacity usually cost between $300 – $700, depending upon the brand and the service contract.

It’s recommended that you purchase a warranty for the life of the gas water heater. Although these appliances are exceptionally durable, there’s always the possibility that yours will “go down.” Without a warranty, it’s probably most financially feasible to buy a new gas water heater. If yours is covered by a service or replacement warranty, you’ll fare much better financially.

The Advantages Of Hot Water Gas Heaters

There are many ways to heat water. Among the more popular heaters you will definitely find the hot water gas heaters. These heaters are able to make the water at a high concession from he regular cost. There are far more advanced technology today and many of it logically have replaced he requirements of using the hot water gas heater. However, people all over the world still cling to this method of heating water stoically. Why? What do the people gain so much out of it that they need to stop the advancement of technology?

There Are Many Types Of Other Heaters Besides The Hot Water Gas Heater

There are indeed a good number of other heaters available and there are a lot people who are happy that such appliances have at last come out, so they would be able to enjoy the benefits that the modern technology brings. The electric water heater, for example, is in high demand and people are highly satisfied with their use. However, if you look at it, from a metaphorical point of view, the old is still gold, and the annual sale of hot water gas heaters were more than the other types, thought the other types are considered are considered far superior in performance.

The newest addition of the market is the tank less water heaters which are exceptional when it comes to work. They provide hot water the moment you turn the tap on, no exceptions. This is very much appreciated by young college girls because now they can take bath anytime of the evening or morning without having to worry of switching on the geyser 20-30 minutes ahead of time.

The choice of people in general, nonetheless, stays loyal to the hot water gas heater because it is simple to use and hence, its technology is understood by all without any exceptions. Second, it is much, much cheaper than the other modern heaters, which makes the hot water gas heater an all-rounder.

There are a few disadvantages though – the hot water gas heater is a but slow when compared to the other types of heaters and it also offers you almost always the cheapest possible price for hot water. On the other hand, the moment you need it to cool down, it can do so in the minimum of time, since the gas can immediately manipulated, giving you the exact ecstatic feeling of being able to soak into the tub at the exact temperature you love.

Portable Heater – Boon Or Curse?

Imagine planning out a wonderful vacation out in the mountains and finding out that the water is ice cold while wanting to take bath. The whole day you would be miserable afterwards. Then, imagine the availability of a portable water heater. Ah! All your problems solved with one phrase.

There Are More Portable Heaters Than This

Portable water heaters are not the only ones that can be carried along for providing home-like comfort in camps in the mountains. You will also need a plain portable heater if you are sleeping somewhere in the wilderness. This is for two reasons – animals are attracted to the smell of man, and will come and investigate whenever they get it. However, they are averse to any type of fire, and fire-related things. A portable heater would he of great help to send off wild animals of nothing else.

We have reports though that sometimes the animals have been attracted because people were carrying portable heaters and these provided them with some warmth when they were feeling cold. Hence, utmost precaution should be taken when going to mountain camps, particularly when the climate is not very conducive.

Some other types of portable heaters are patio heaters which are built with open spaces in mind, and gas portable water heaters. In both the cases the heaters are tested and put through a number of rigorous hand-on use. After one month of rough usage, if the heater is still working fine, then it will be promoted in the market.

However, even then there are instances when among all these tested ones, one un-checked slipped; and as luck would have it, that particular one will be the one that would go to the most spirited customer who would fight anyone to get compensation and all from the irate customer.

It takes a lot to placate an irate customer- but the best policy till date is to accept the complaints looking chastised and then proceed in charming her/his off their feet. This part will be easy because all people are ego conscious and love a little flattery. If you can manage the right balance then the day would end in good news. Otherwise, we have lost a passenger.

Hence, for this product too, there should be a better customer-placating bias. Then, please cut out into our work. The portable heater is indeed a boon to mankind, provided it works well and does not malfunction.

The Tankless Electric Hot Water Heater – A Great Device

Science does not allow any stagnation of technology. Water heaters, too, have come a long way from the coal and wood consumption types to today’s exceptional types of modern water heaters. One among the most convenient ones is the tankless electric hot water heater. If you are wondering what it is meant by ‘tankless’, let me enlighten you. There are two types of heaters. One is the heater which heats the water after it descends into a tank prescribed for this purpose, and the other one is one which will provide you with hot water without having to store water anywhere prior to the heating.

The Advantages Of The Tankless Electric Hot Water Heater

The main advantage is all the time you’ll save. The tankless electric hot water heater is a exceptional device by which water gets heated through hot waves, which pass through the pipes directly. It does not need to be stored in a place for heating up. This saves a lot of time; hence, it reduces anxiety regarding hot water and other related issues.

You will find the best of technology used in the making of the tankless electric hot water heaters of today. The features of the device are such that the tankless electric hot water heater can be applied to both residence and commercial places without any inconvenience, or major makeovers. This means that the cost would be more or less the same for both places.

The most common uses for this type of technology are swimming pools, one-day laundries, hospitals, nursing homes, and so on. Most of them come with a thermostat which can be used to fix the temperature. If it goes below three degrees, it will send its ‘control’ a message and then you will receive an immediate respite, or tuning up, of the heat. In many cases, the oscillation of the heat is controlled automatically, once you have fed the minimum and maximum ranges into its controlling device/remote.

The Disadvantages Of The Tankless Water Heater

Every good thing has a minus side and a plus side. You have read all the plus sides. Aren’t you interested to learn about the downside of this technological aspect? Well, the first and foremost is the cost. The electric hot water heater is far more expensive than the other types of heaters. This is because it needs a great deal of power to keep the water at a constant level of heat. If the minimum and maximum vary greatly, then it could be possible to cut cost a bit, since it will switch off automatically a little longer.

Water Is Always Hot With Instant Water Heater

People tired of running out of hot water, or those with limited space for a water tank are finding that an instant water heater can solve both issues at the same time. Since an instant water heater attaches directly to the water line, there is no need for a tank.

Conventional residential hot water tanks usually hold 40 to 80 gallons of water, which is kept hot at all times, day and night. As water is used, it is replaced with cold water and heated. As water sits in the tank, it loses heat and power is used to keep it up to a preset temperature.

With an instant water heater, no energy is used until the faucet is turned on. Once water begins to flow, the unit turns on and heats the water, typically at 125 degrees Fahrenheit. If that temperature is too hot for the individual, simply regulate it by turning on the cold water. When you turn off the water, the instant water heater shuts down, using no energy.

In addition to the power savings of an instant water heater, water use also diminished. With a conventional tank, when the hot water faucet is turning on in may take running the cold water out of the line before the warm water begins flowing. With an instant water heater the water is hot from the start, eliminating the need to run the water to clear the lines.

Many Uses For Instant Hot Water

While an instant water heater can provide benefits at the individual faucets, whole-house units can save the energy used by maintaining hot water temperature day and night and only heat it when it’s needed. Claims are made that using an instant water heater can reduce energy use for hot water by up to 76%.

This has financial benefits for residential, commercial and industrial users and many manufacturers offer instant water heater units of all sizes for all users. These can especially beneficial to small homes or business owners who don’t have the space to devote to a typical hot water tank.

Financial saving can be rewarding. For example a family using 120 gallons of water a day with a 40-gallon electric hot water tank typically spends $112.25 per month. For the same usage, an instant water heater will cost about $26.95 per month. Using 30 gallons per day will see the hot water cost drop from about $28.10 per month to $6.84 per month, according to www.hotwaterheater.com.

Save Money With Solar Water Heater

With the ever-rising costs of utilities such as gas and electric, many people have found that a solar water heater can save them money. By utilizing this naturally occurring resource, utility costs are kept down while still enjoying a steady supply of hot water. Remembering there is no cost for operation of a solar water heater.

A solar water heater works on the same principal of any other solar-powered electric operated item. The heat from the sun is converted into electrical energy and stored is special batteries and the power is used as required. When the batteries start to become low, a regulator automatically flips an internal switch, recharging the batteries.

While the initial cost of a solar water heater will probably be higher than other types, it will save money in the long-run as the energy from the sun is free, therefore no annual operating costs. One downside, however, may be in areas accustomed to significant show fall in which snow build up may have to be removed in order for the solar panels to work properly. This issue can be addressed by adding solar-powered heating strips to keep the snow melted.

Choosing System For Your Home

Understand that a solar water heater relies on solar panels typically installed into the roof of the house. Fortunately them come in a variety of colors to fit into the color scheme of your home. They are also available in a variety of configurations to help stay within your budget.

If you can not afford a 100% solar water heater, consider adding panels as you can afford to, starting small to provide a portion of your water heating bills. A general rule of thumb is to have one gallon of water storage for every square foot of collector area. The panels will also need to face the south and a path from the collectors to the hot water tank should be no more than 40 feet. Although 80 feet is possible with proper insulation.

In many cases the existing hot water tank can be used, but if its capacity is not big enough an add-on tank can be installed. Generally speaking, a 50-gallon water tank is best for efficiency with 40 square feet of solar panels, with a good electrical path, but a 40 gallon solar water heater can be used with as little of 30 square feet of panels.