As you now know, a heater with a water tank needs a lot of space for its installation. The minimum recommended volume of such a heater for a family of three with a small child is at least 80 liters. Tankless water heaters are small, and the availability of free space for them is not difficult, unlike their capacitive counterparts.
In this article, we are going to evaluate the points about choosing a tankless water heater, their power, the principle of operation, and analyze the main recommendations for choosing a tankless water heater.
Pros and cons of electric water heaters
The undoubted advantages of tankless water heaters are:
- Compactness;
- Placement close to the tap point, which reduces the heat loss of hot water;
- In tankless heaters, electricity gets consumed as soon as the water is drawn directly, unlike a capacitive heater; While tank heaters consume electricity to maintain the temperature of the hot water in the tank;
- The amount of hot water is not limited by the volume of the tank, as in a tank heater;
- More aesthetic appearance;
- The heating control system depends on the water flow and protection against pressure surges and boiling water when the flow decreases.
As you can see, the advantages are substantial. Yes, living in a small apartment, where every square centimeter is of great value, choosing a tankless water heater proper to the installation place is not so easy. There is no problem if you are choosing a place near the kitchen sink or bathroom.
- A noticeable disadvantage of tankless water heaters can be considered their high consumption. Electric power allows you to gain instant hot water. Tankless water heaters connect to the electricity with a special cable due to the high electrical load. Such a heater cannot be plugged into any outlet.
- This negative feature often discourages many buyers from choosing tank haters for their living space in their apartments.
What are the components of a tankless water heater?
A tankless water heater consists of:
- Coldwater supply;
- Hot water outlet;
- The electronic unit;
- Heating elements;
- Remote control (optional).
How does a tankless water heater work?
- The water enters the water heater that you mean choosing to buy.
- It passes through the control unit, which gets opened depending on the water flow.
- Heating elements start to work. The heater completely turns them off in the absence of water.
- You can set the desired water temperature at the outlet part using the control buttons (or the remote control for more advanced models).
Features of tankless water heaters
If you are choosing a tankless water heater, you should know that all flow-type water heaters can be divided into large groups: pressure heaters and pressureless heaters.
- Pressure heaters can serve some water intake points simultaneously; the main thing is to provide the necessary pressure.
- Pressureless heaters, as a rule, are mounted directly on the tap or have their watering cans in the kit. Such a heater can provide hot water from just one water point.
All heaters are either hydraulic or electronically controlled, considering their control type.
- Hydraulically controlled heaters are more simple in design and a heating element either without power adjustment or with the possibility of changing the tap.
- Electronically controlled heaters are much more flexible, depending on the water passing through the heater and the set temperature.
Choose the performance of a tankless water heater?
Before choosing a tankless water heater, you will need to determine optimum performance in liters per minute.
- V is the volume of heated water, l/min;
- W – geyser power, kW;
- t2 is the water temperature at the outlet of the heater, °С;
- t1 is the water temperature at the heater inlet, °C.
The temperature can drop to 5°C during the winter, and it can go up to 10-15°C during the summer.
A comfortable temperature for showering is around 40°C, for washing dishes – 45°C.
The shower requires a flow rate of about four l/min. You need a heater to keep the water warm up to 40 degrees in the winter.
What type of water heaters are more welcomed by the people?
Flow models of water heaters are in great demand among buyers. This issue is primarily due to their compactness. At the same time, they are not inferior in performance to the other species. The power consumption of flow changes is low. However, there are quite a few manufacturers on the market like Noritz, Rinnai, and Navien.
How to install the water heater?
Inlet and outlet pipes are at the bottom of the device, with variable diameters. There are filters on the pipes. Next, a special anode is on the heating element. There is a special under the thermostat. The mounting plate on the device is on the control unit.
How to decide on choosing a tankless water heater with a specific model?
When you are choosing a tankless water heater for your apartment, evaluate the load that will enter the device. The maximum power of the model should be about 12 kW if no more than three people live in the apartment. All this will allow maintaining the performance parameter at three liters per minute.
- The maximum temperature should be at least 50 degrees. Also, choosing a tankless water heater for an apartment should be based on the parameters like the power supply.
- The device is at 220 V, and its frequency can be in the range of 20-30 Hz.
- If the house has problems with power surges, it is better to choose a model for 30 Hz.
- The protection system must be IP 30.
- Choosing probes of the anti-corrosion type is fine. They can last for a long time.
- Heating elements are of the protected type. But recently, manufacturers have also begun to produce analogs of steatite. In this case, it is difficult to give preference to any change.
- If you choose a budget option, it is better to stop at a protected heating element.
- For the master to easily connect the device to the water supply system, the diameter of the inlet and outlet pipes should be 2.3 cm.