Finding the best tankless hot water heater comes from doing your homework. Start by comparing energy efficiency. Important points presented below will point you in choosing the best tankless hot water heater to fit your needs.
The measure of efficiency
Anyone can refer to Government rating to make easier for consumers in finding the best tankless hot water heater, or other home heating product that will give them more value. Electric tankless hot water heaters are rated .99 energy efficient, while tankless gas heaters are compared at .80. The contrast is in the amount of loss of heat in the fuel burning process of gas burners. Tank water heaters are listed with an even lower efficiency rating.
Search out the cost of utilities In your region. If the rate of electricity is competitive, this could lead to a difference in which utility you decide on. Regardless, gas might point to the best choice for a tankless hot water heater. Only gas can produce enough hot water for a large home.
You can use this as a starting point Electric tankless models produce a flow of only 2-5 gallons per minute of hot water, while gas models can produce 9-13 gallons of hot water per minute. Using multiple units is a way to custom fit tankless models to fit your needs and reduce wasted energy.
Do a water survey of your own, but this may be useful: A shower, with a water saver nozzle uses 1-¼ to 1-½ gallons per minute. A tub or clothes washer uses about 2 to 2-½ gallons per minute.
Energy prices and the best tankless hot water heater
There was a time when everyone thought gas cost less but times change. Why assume, size up energy costs in your locale. A lot has changed in recent years. The bargain rate of gas that once made a low efficiency rating for typical family use has changed.
This will give you a quick idea of US power rates:
Electric prices vary from $0.06/kwh to $0.23/kwh ($1.76 to $6.74 a therm)
Gas prices vary from $10 to $19 per 1,000 cu ft of natural gas ($1 to $1.90 per therm)
North vs. South
In northern latitudes, Up north, where ground temperature may drop to near freezing, it will require a lot more energy to raise the temperature of a gallon of water. This could call for the power of a gas model, depending on your rate of flow needs. Consider these two things: Flow Rate and Gallons Per Minute to identify what size heater can work with you household requirements and whether it should be gas or electric.
The installation step
This step means more homework. In your location there may be few contractors trained in advising you in choosing the best tankless hot water heater and how to install it. The best course is to look for qualified people and get several estimates. Gas tankless hot water heaters need to be installed by someone knowledgeable of this type of combustion system.
Electric tankless hot water heaters, on the other hand, can be a handyman project. If you are on a low budget you can save money this way. Invest in a how-to book and the manufacturer’s manual for guidance with this project.
Refer to this site for detailed installing a tankless water heater instructions: http://installing-a-tankless-water-heater.com
Follow this link for more info on choosing the best tankless hot water heater:
http://www.best-tankless-hot-water-heater.info
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Installing A Tankless Water Heater - Go Electric
Would like to put in a new hot water heater? An electric tankless water heater could be a good choice. As you probably know from your own experience, gas is a cheaper energy than electric, but what may be news is that gas prices have been going up, while electrical power has been dropping, according to Department of Energy.
How to choose
Tankless water heaters could be productive for 20 years or more. Interchangeable parts could carry this out this even further. Projections show that more electrical power will be generated by alternative means as need builds. This could lead to even greater savings with time.
Some people are disappointed hear the news that installing a tankless gas water heater may come with a high initial price tag, causing the breakeven point to be years away. Make the effort to find out what the prices for gas and electricity are in your community, it may modify your decision.
Sometimes an illustration can help. A 120-amp electric tankless hot water heater can be the right improvement for an average family that has water flow considerations of 2-5 gallons per minute. The difference in price could be $800, self installed, to $2,400 for a gas model installed by a technician. Or, illustrated like this, a 20-minute shower that costs you $0.64 with an electric heater might cost you $0.45 with a gas .
Installing a tankless water heater means making the choice that satisfies your needs. Electric can be a cost saving step for folks in a small to medium size residence in less chilly parts of the country. Another factor is your location, with east coast states generally costing more for gas and less for electricity than many other regions of the country.
The advantages
Electrical tankless water heaters have advantages right from the beginning. One is they cost about the same as a tank water heater, installed. Shaped about the same as a pizza box, many DIYers have them delivered by UPS. Just take it out of the box, mount it near the old one, hook up the wiring and plumbing and be done before you know it. Installing it yourself could make the total cost about half of what you might pay otherwise.
Once your tankless water heater is installed, you can turn the faucet on instant hot water and the double advantage of saving money and helping the planet. So if your old tank water supply is not producing, it may be time to go online and search with Shopzilla or one of the other price search engines to find a tankless water heater that will bring you up date. You could have it installed by the weekend.
Installing electric tankless water heater takes little effort to put up. If you are not quite sure, a how-to book can lead you through installation of breakers, electrical panels and general wiring.
Plumbing has two avenues - the usual method of soldering of pipe joints or the quicker, easy but more expensive. One is called sweating and uses the method of heating with a torch and applying lead-free solder to pipe connections.
A second solution of installing the plumbing for your tankless water heater involves using push together couplings, called compression fittings - more costly but very easy to do. Short lengths of flexi-pipe can be part of the assembly. A combination of all three methods can be put to use in your plumbing project.
Keeping the piping short and simple is the best avenue to heat loss control savings with time and get the most from your tankless heater.
Refer to this site for detailed installing a tankless water heater instructions: http://installing-a-tankless-water-heater.com
How to choose
Tankless water heaters could be productive for 20 years or more. Interchangeable parts could carry this out this even further. Projections show that more electrical power will be generated by alternative means as need builds. This could lead to even greater savings with time.
Some people are disappointed hear the news that installing a tankless gas water heater may come with a high initial price tag, causing the breakeven point to be years away. Make the effort to find out what the prices for gas and electricity are in your community, it may modify your decision.
Sometimes an illustration can help. A 120-amp electric tankless hot water heater can be the right improvement for an average family that has water flow considerations of 2-5 gallons per minute. The difference in price could be $800, self installed, to $2,400 for a gas model installed by a technician. Or, illustrated like this, a 20-minute shower that costs you $0.64 with an electric heater might cost you $0.45 with a gas .
Installing a tankless water heater means making the choice that satisfies your needs. Electric can be a cost saving step for folks in a small to medium size residence in less chilly parts of the country. Another factor is your location, with east coast states generally costing more for gas and less for electricity than many other regions of the country.
The advantages
Electrical tankless water heaters have advantages right from the beginning. One is they cost about the same as a tank water heater, installed. Shaped about the same as a pizza box, many DIYers have them delivered by UPS. Just take it out of the box, mount it near the old one, hook up the wiring and plumbing and be done before you know it. Installing it yourself could make the total cost about half of what you might pay otherwise.
Once your tankless water heater is installed, you can turn the faucet on instant hot water and the double advantage of saving money and helping the planet. So if your old tank water supply is not producing, it may be time to go online and search with Shopzilla or one of the other price search engines to find a tankless water heater that will bring you up date. You could have it installed by the weekend.
Installing electric tankless water heater takes little effort to put up. If you are not quite sure, a how-to book can lead you through installation of breakers, electrical panels and general wiring.
Plumbing has two avenues - the usual method of soldering of pipe joints or the quicker, easy but more expensive. One is called sweating and uses the method of heating with a torch and applying lead-free solder to pipe connections.
A second solution of installing the plumbing for your tankless water heater involves using push together couplings, called compression fittings - more costly but very easy to do. Short lengths of flexi-pipe can be part of the assembly. A combination of all three methods can be put to use in your plumbing project.
Keeping the piping short and simple is the best avenue to heat loss control savings with time and get the most from your tankless heater.
Refer to this site for detailed installing a tankless water heater instructions: http://installing-a-tankless-water-heater.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)