All About Hot Water Heaters

Table of Contents

Tankless Water Heater

All About Hot Water Heaters - I have been transformed into a believer in tankless water heater systems. A few years back, I moved to Ukraine for professional reasons. When I first arrived in Ukraine it took a while for me to adapt to the culture, language, services, and way they do things here. Power failures, water outages, and occasionally natural gas outages are quite frequent here although it is tolerable and a minor inconvenience.

All About Hot Water Heaters | Water Heaters with Tanks and Tankless Water Heaters

All About Hot Water Heaters - Many of the outages occur at night when many people are sleeping. However, occasionally during the day when you need it. I must include that this has been a big adventure. I have learned much and to tell you if you are living in the States or Western Europe you have it good. Furthermore, that doesn’t mean Ukraine is bad it just means they are a little behind. Finally, hopefully, they will quickly catch up.

I have not seen a standard water heater here like the common water heaters with tanks in the States. All the systems I have seen here are tankless. That includes the water heaters in the apartment I rented and now in the house where I lived. I am sure there are tank-type water heaters here like in the States. However, I have not seen them yet. Note: This was written a few years ago. Tankless water heaters are now much more prevalent in the states.

Tankless Or Instantaneous | All About Hot Water Heaters

Some Highlights of the benefits of a Tankless Hot Water System over a conventional system that utilizes a tank

Tankless systems provide an unlimited supply of hot water which means no waiting for the hot water system to heat the water in the tank so you can take a shower even after all the teenagers in the house took their showers.
A lower operational cost means a lower utility bill.
They take up less space than a conventional hot water system which utilizes a tank.
Tankless systems last longer than a conventional hot water heater with a tank.
They are on-demand which is good for energy savings. You only use what you need when you need it.
If it is installed properly the wait for hot water when the hot water spigot is turned on is almost instantaneous.

Several years ago when tankless systems were first being introduced to the States I attended a training seminar about a type of HVAC system. In the seminar, the man showed us pictures of his HVAC system set up and how well he liked this system. The pictures, he showed us was the way he heated his home. He had three tankless water heaters in his garage.

The tankless water heaters took up little room on one of his garage walls. He claimed his power bills dropped after hooking this system up and using it for hot water and for heat. I was still skeptical and this skepticism continued until I moved to Ukraine. After all, what could replace 50 gallons of 130° F. water available to me 24/7?

Tankless Skepticism | All About Hot Water Heaters

After all those years of skepticism, I learned that an on-demand tankless water heater was not the big scary water heater that rested back in the recesses of my mind but actually an affordable and cost-efficient alternative to providing hot water for living from taking showers to washing dishes to washing your hands. I am adding a new section to High Performance HVAC because of this awakening. I have done a complete analysis of water heaters and combined this with my experience in HVAC which includes experience with boilers and domestic hot water systems.

Domestic hot water systems in HVAC is using boilers to heat water for domestic use. This system of heating water can include heating water with a boiler, electric heating, or using a heat pump or refrigeration method of heating water. Please – when most people think of refrigeration they think of air conditioning or a refrigerator. A way of cooling something whether it be in a refrigerator or in air conditioning. Understand that refrigeration is simply a way of moving heat from one place to another.

Heat Pumps | All About Hot Water Heaters

That is the true definition of refrigeration. You can use this method of refrigeration to also heat which is what heat pumps do for our comfort in the wintertime. Follow this series of heating water and you will learn new things about your way of heating water and whether it is the best way of heating the water or not. I purchased one of these for my most recent home. It replaces an old electric water heater. It was just my wife and I and it supplied plenty of hot water for us. We never had any problems with hot water or running out. We had some house guest that stayed for a week and had no problem.

The heat pump water heater works perfectly in a basement. It dehumidifies the air in the basement as a bonus. Heat pump water heaters also have an electric backup in case you need extra capacity for additional visitors and high-use situations. Controlled properly, it has a hybrid mode where it will use the heat pump to make hot water but if it starts falling behind the electricity will kick in to make up for the bigger heat loss. The only complaint I have heard about heat pumps is that they are a little noisy. I could barely hear mine down in the basement but it did make a distinct noise.

Storage Tank Water Heaters | All About Hot Water Heaters

Whether you get tankless or have a gas-fired or electric storage water heater always go high efficiency. Water heaters consume much of a home’s energy usage and the higher the efficiency the more you save on energy bills. Therefore, always consider an Energy Star rated water heater to conserve energy and save on energy bills. There are many available that are Energy Star rated including gas-fired, electric, heat pump water heaters, and tankless systems. BTW, if you are wondering how a heat pump works to heat the water check out our how heat pumps work page.

Storage tank water heaters that are gas-fired, electric, or heat pumps do require periodic maintenance. The is the water heater anode rod that may need attention from time to time. If you have a storage-tank water heater and you smell an odor akin to rotten eggs you likely need to have the anode rod checked out. Additionally, it is good to occasionally drain the storage tank down from time to time for water heater maintenance. A good maintenance plan will extend the life of the water heater and give you better and more efficient hot water.

Water Heater Conclusion | All About Hot Water Heaters

Because of my new awakening to tankless water heaters, I will not be biased in my reporting for water heaters with tanks. I will simply do as I have always done in all my articles and that is to present you with the facts and let you determine what water heating system is best for you. This is, after all, is said and done, what you will do anyway so it is best to offer you facts and let you make up your own mind. I can make recommendations but you make up your own mind as to what you want for HVAC or hot water heating. That is the best for you.

This website, High Performance HVAC is all about educating you and helping you understand the best way to efficiently provide comfort for your home. This includes the most cost-effective way of helping you make your home or business comfortable. Pass this on to your friends or add High Performance HVAC to a bookmarking service like the bookmarking services you see listed on High Performance HVAC.