Advantages and disadvantages of electric water heaters
Electric units used to heat water, are more versatile. The advantage of such devices is that they can function in conditions that do not involve the connection of the home to the central gas supply system.
Boilers do not need to install a ventilation system. When buying such a device there is also no need to buy metal pipes, which are not cheap.
Also, electric water heaters differ in a greater degree of safety. If a gas-fired water heater is not properly installed, an emergency situation can occur. Such a device can be installed without any problems yourself. Now consider the disadvantages of boilers, which are caused by their design.
The main disadvantage of electric water heater. high consumption of energy that goes to heat water. The large size of boilers are also not their strong point. And finally, another disadvantage is the service life of devices, which is lower than that of boilers.
Boiler water heating time table
To date, there are many variants of such equipment. Separately, it is worth mentioning boilers, which belong to the category of indirect heating. Such devices consume the energy generated by the boiler for heating the room. The use of such a device is most appropriate in the winter, as its operation does not incur additional costs of gas or electricity.
Flame control system
Both natural gas and combustion products are dangerous to human life. Therefore, for the safe operation of gas boilers, flame and draught control sensors are used. They are adjusted so that they work to close the gas valve to the burner at damping or excessive accumulation of carbon monoxide in the chimney.
Usually, domestic water heaters are also equipped with an emergency valve, which when the maximum pressure parameter in the water supply is exceeded, triggers a discharge to avoid the rupture of internal parts and protect people from injury while heating water.
Electric water heater
The principle of the boiler is to heat water with the help of a heating element, working from electricity. Then the liquid is fed into the heating and/or water system. By the way, one of the main parameters of the boiler, taken into account when choosing a specific model, is just the number of circuits.
There are single-circuit and two-circuit types of equipment. The first type can be used either for hot water or for heating, but not both at the same time. Two-circuit equipment can also be used for heating in several directions at once. True, this is usually called not a boiler, but a heating boiler. In apartments, such models, as a rule, are not installed, since they have a rather large size.
The second difference between the varieties of boilers from each other is the type of water heating. There are two types of water heaters: flow-through and storage. The first heats the water at the moment of its passage through the equipment and immediately feeds it into the system. Thus, the process is very fast, which is quite convenient.
But this method has a rather strong disadvantage. it is high power consumption. This leads to two unpleasant factors at once. First, the utility bills increase sharply during the use of a flowing water heater. Secondly, the load on the network in the apartment or house increases significantly. For some models, the standard wiring is not suitable at all, they need a three-phase socket with a higher voltage.
If you install such a device in an apartment where the wiring has not been changed for a long time, the result will be either a system breakdown or even a house fire. Therefore, the flow-through type of water heaters is not so popular, despite all the convenience of operation.
The second type of heating is a storage tank. In this case, the electric boiler is a large tank with a built-in heating element. This container is completely filled with water from the cold water supply system. Then the liquid is heated and waits in temperature maintenance mode when you need to use it.
The volume of storage tanks can vary greatly. there are devices for 10 liters, and there are devices for 150 liters. Naturally, in order to choose a device with the necessary criteria for you, you must first take into account what kind of water consumption is usually typical for your family.
For example, for three or four people, usually enough water heater for 80 liters. Taking more will result in unnecessary heating costs. If less, then each member of the family will have to wait for the tank to heat cold water again before taking a shower.
Actually, the last factor is one of the main disadvantages inherent in storage equipment. The limited volume of hot water is not always enough for all needs. In addition, such a boiler has a fairly impressive size. It is good if you have a spacious bathroom or kitchen, but not everyone is so lucky. And in a small room, there is simply no place to put such equipment.
Gas water heaters and their features
Today, no one will be surprised by a gas water heater. This is quite popular equipment, which is used everywhere. If in the past it was very large and unattractive, today these devices are characterized by relatively small size, as well as a stylish design.
However, the principle of operation of gas boilers has remained the same as before. What does it consist of?
Cold water entering the heat exchanger is heated with natural gas. The main advantage of this heating technology is that even a very large volume of water can be heated very quickly.
To read more about the principle of operation and the construction of the column, please follow this link.
Many people can not imagine even one day of their life without hot water. In order to protect yourself and your loved ones once and for all, it is worth installing a water heater
Another undoubted advantage that has made gas boilers an ideal option for most buyers is the low price for natural gas. The high performance of gas boilers has allowed them to win a large part of the market in recent years.
In the open sale you can find gas water heaters of both domestic and foreign production, but those who would like to buy 100% high-quality equipment, you should give preference to products of famous world brands. Among them, you can note the equipment of companies Electrolux, Neva, Oasis, Bosch and Ariston, although many other manufacturers are also well proven. about the best gas water heaters we talked about in the following rating.
If you live in an old house where there is no hot water all the time, the gas water heater is your best friend. It is enough to choose the model you like and agree on the installation with a specialist
Models of columns, which can be found on sale, differ in the way of ignition. The ignition can be both automatic and semi-automatic. With automatic ignition, the unit starts working immediately when the faucet tap is opened. To start the equipment with semi-automatic ignition, you will have to use manual ignition of the wick.
Modern gas water heaters are equipped with both convenient and quite informative displays, as well as a variety of indicators. This additional equipment greatly simplifies the process of controlling the gas boiler.
It is worth noting that water heaters, like boilers, can be atmospheric (chimney) and turbine (no chimney). If the first type of equipment uses a natural air flow and its removal to the chimney, in the second. these processes are forced. The turbine is an integrated fan, which is used to force air into the combustion chamber as quickly as possible. The turbine is also needed for the outflow of combustion products from the combustion chamber.
Flow-through or storage?
Flow-through gas water heaters (also called gas columns) have one distinct advantage over storage: compact size, allowing you to install the unit exactly where it is convenient to use. Nevertheless, the requirements for the premises in which any gas equipment, provide a good natural or mechanical (forced) ventilation. This is not only due to safety concerns (in the room should not accumulate gas if it leaks), but also necessary for the normal operation of the gas burner, which requires an inflow of a certain amount of air per hour, it depends on the capacity of the device. For example, the bathroom does not include such premises, to place a gas boiler, despite the obvious convenience of such a decision, in most cases it is impossible. We can say that, in fact, flow-through water heater is similar to a wall-mounted gas boiler, having almost the same design with some adjustments made to reflect the work in the DHW system, not heating.
Losing to the flow-through in terms of compactness, storage gas water heaters have several advantages, due to which most customers prefer this equipment. Simplicity of construction, comparable with a samovar, is the key to the low cost of spare parts and maintenance of the device. Analyzing the work of storage and flow-through water heaters, you can see the following results: when using the storage tank in the stock has a significant amount of hot water, always ready for use, while the flow device requires some time to ignite the burner, the output of the latter to the operating mode and heating the walls of the heat exchanger;
The hot water temperature at the outlet of storage units is almost independent of the water flow rate, even if the water flow rate changes drastically;
flow-through water heaters, adjustment and stabilization of the water temperature is problematic, since it varies markedly with changes in consumption; when hot water is turned on at several points at once, the total amount of hot water is significantly reduced;
at low water consumption (up to 3 liters per minute) gas water heater can not turn on, as the dynamic water pressure is not enough to trigger the flow sensor, which gives the command to ignite the burner. This is mainly due to the high operating temperature for which the appliance is set. Here you either have to change the settings or unnecessarily increase the water flow rate;
storage water heater does not depend in any way on the cold water inlet pressure, while for gas-fired boilers the minimum value of this parameter is 0.52 bar (depending on the specific model), otherwise the unit will not work.
In a flow-through heater at start-up, before the heater reaches the operating mode, some heat is lost that could have been beneficially used. For storage systems such losses are not characteristic
The efficiency of flow-through water heaters is a rather relative value. When calculating the temperature difference (ΔT) of the cold water at the inlet and hot water at the outlet is taken as 25C. When the temperature of water at the inlet of the gas heater decreases (in reality it can drop to 34C) the capacity of the device decreases proportionally to 7580% of the nominal. To save quantity, you can sacrifice quality, that is, using the regulator to reduce the temperature of hot water at the outlet. Accumulation units are virtually devoid of this drawback, because their heating element (burner) works in a continuous mode, having enough time to cook water of a given temperature in the desired volume.
Electric water heater. the purpose and the main characteristics
Electric water heater. a profitable purchase. With its help, cold water is heated to a comfortable temperature. It can be used at any time. It is heated electrically. The strength of the flow does not depend on the pressure in the system, but on the power of the faucet.
They come in flow-through and storage type, it depends on how the water is heated. The latter option is a watertight tank that is filled with water. It starts to heat up. The volume of the tank. one of the main characteristics of the electric storage heater. All modern models operate in normal and accelerated modes.
Flow-through device is a small device in which the water is heated almost immediately. Such a boiler creates a heavy load on the network, consumes a lot of electricity. When choosing a flow-through heater, you should know that flow-through units are demanding to the wiring.
Key features other than size and volume include:
All storage boilers must have :
Electric devices can be equipped with heaters of different types:
- Classic (wet). It is in contact with water.
- Dry heater. Located inside a special flask, not in contact with water.
Models with a classic heater are cheaper. Do not last long. The second option is more expensive, reliable and durable. No limescale appears on the dry heater. The tubular heating element is almost silent, so the electric water heater is characterized by quiet operation.
Accumulation heater provides the user with a certain amount of water. When used up, the next batch will not be ready until 30 minutes later.
Electric/gas flow system
Not all panelboards can handle flow-through water heaters with capacities up to 3 8 kW. For this, it is likely to be necessary to connect a separate protector.
What to choose between a boiler or a gas boiler
The choice between the gas water heater and electric boiler is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. The difference between them is great, but to make the right choice you only need to answer a few questions.
Question number one: Does your house have a hot water supply?
In new houses there is usually not only a cold, but also hot water. In these houses, as a rule, in the summertime the hot water is turned off for maintenance work on the pipes. At this time the boiler is very useful, it will not leave your apartment without hot water. In addition, these apartments usually have no gas, which makes it impossible to use a boiler. Which brings us to our second question.
Question number two: Does your apartment have gas?
If there is gas equipment in the apartment, you have one choice. the boiler, if the apartment has gas, you can install a gas boiler, and you can install a boiler. When we have two answers, let’s look at the pros and cons of both designs.
Gas vs Electric Water Heater (Which is Best?)
Gas water heaters and their features
Today, the gas boiler is not a surprise to anyone. This is quite popular equipment, which is used everywhere. If in the past it was very large and unsightly, today these devices are characterized by relatively small size, as well as a stylish design.
However, the principle of operation of gas boilers has remained the same as before. What it is?
The cold water entering the heat exchanger is heated by natural gas. The main advantage of this heating technology is that even a very large volume of water can be heated extremely quickly.
To read more about the principle of operation and the device of the column, please go to this link.
Another undeniable advantage that has made gas boilers an ideal option for most buyers is the low price of natural gas. The high performance of gas boilers has allowed them to win a large part of the market in recent years.
In the open sale you can find gas water heaters of both domestic and foreign production, but those who would like to buy 100% high-quality equipment, you should give preference to products of known global brands. Among them, you can note the equipment of the companies Electrolux, Neva, Oasis, Bosch and Ariston, although many other manufacturers have also proven themselves. We talked more about the best gas water heaters in the following rating.
Models of columns, which can be found on sale, differ in the way of ignition. The ignition can be both automatic and semi-automatic. With automatic ignition, the device starts working directly at the time of opening the faucet tap. To start equipment with semi-automatic ignition, you will have to use manual ignition of the wick.
Modern gas water heaters are equipped with comfortable and quite informative displays, as well as a variety of indicators. This additional equipment greatly simplifies the process of controlling the gas boiler.
It is worth noting that, like boilers, water heaters can be atmospheric (flue) and turbine (no flue). If the first type of equipment uses a natural air intake and its removal to the chimney, in the second. these processes are forced. The turbine is a built-in fan that is used to force air into the combustion chamber as quickly as possible. The turbine is also needed for the outflow of combustion products from the combustion chamber.
