The situation, painfully familiar to all Americans: in the height of summer there is a fan shutdown of hot water throughout the country of our immense motherland. In the past, the population, deprived of the opportunity to wash, used to sit and wait for the warm water to flow again. Sometimes we had to wait about a month… And now – another time, most of us have a plan B in mind, and in several ways. Let’s talk about how to provide yourself with hot water all year round?
SOLUTION #1
Suitable so-called “small” electric flow heater, working from 220 V, up to 10 kW.
Flow-through heaters, in turn, are divided into 2 groups: pressurized and non-pressurized.
Pressure-flow water heaters are installed directly in the “riser” and are brought to the points of consumption.
In order to wash the dishes, enough 3-4 kW heater, it produces 3 liters of warm water per minute.
If you want to take a shower, you need a heater with 8-10 kW. Electricity he “eats” a lot, but it’s only 1 month per year.
Flow-through water heater can be installed not in all apartments: a prerequisite is a 32 or 40-amp meter 16-amp meter will only hold up to 6 kW of load .
If you live in a modern house, or in your house are electric stoves, feel free to call an electrician, because you need a dedicated electrical line grounded to connect the water heater. You will also need the services of a plumber or a specialist installer.
Do not install the device yourself – it is more expensive.
WE HAVE THE SAME LOOK
You should always know that the flow-through water heater only
HEATES cold water an average of 25 degrees.
In summer, for example, the water in the system is about 16 ° C.
Calculation: 16+25=41°C.
In winter: 3-5°C, 4+25=29°C. It is a little cold, though?
If you dared to buy a flow heater, buy only products of well-known companies. This is not advertising, this is experience.
All models of reputable brands are equipped with RCD fuses, since they work in humid conditions. If the line somewhere leakage voltage short-circuit or breakdown , RCD stops the voltage – and you are protected from electric shock.
In addition, there is a safety valve that protects against “dry start”: you forgot to open the cold water tap, jammed water valve, just suddenly turned off the water – the unit will not turn on, and if it worked – will turn off. There is also protection against overheating, overvoltage. On unknown models such protection may not be.
So:
+ Compact, hidden in the riser, easy to use.
– Difficulties with installation, consumes a lot of electricity, only warms up the water.
Non-pressurized instantaneous water heater is more suitable for country houses.
The fact that it is designed for a supply pressure of 1-1.5 atmospheres and is equipped with its own pump, which creates pressure at the outlet, the shower head and the system that regulates the pressure and temperature of the outgoing water. And in urban conditions, the pressure in the water supply system from 3 to 7 atmospheres sometimes higher , so the unpressurized water will either not have time to warm up, or it will break.
DECISION #2
Electric storage water heaters
The principle of operation resembles an electric kettle – a heating element brings water to the desired temperature rarely more than 80 ° C .
The capacity of boilers ranges from 5 liters to 300 liters and more.
Calculate what size boiler you need is easy: a 30-liter boiler gives about 80 liters of hot water in summer, which is enough to take a shower for two.
Accumulation water heaters are horizontal and vertical. Horizontal boilers are easy to hide on the mezzanine, mounted on the ceiling, hidden behind wall cabinets.
To meet the summer demand for hot water for a family of four people in the city will be enough tank of 80 liters. With year-round residence in a private home, a similar family would need a 200-liter tank.
Boiler needs regular maintenance, but you will be told about this in the service center. Heating of water demands from 10 minutes to 8 hours, depending on capacity of a tank and capacity of a heating element. Using the boiler is not complicated: you operate the mixer like you do with an ordinary water supply.
Heat loss of a modern boiler is minimal: the rate of cooling does not exceed 0.25-0.5 degrees per hour, and in advanced models, equipped with a thermos, – 1 degree per day.
NOTE
If you have a multi-tariff electricity meter, you can save: to heat water at night and use it during the day, because, having heated water to a predetermined temperature, the temperature sensor will automatically shut off the unit from the mains.
Unlike flow-through heaters, the boiler does not require a large head of water in the water supply system, it is enough 1 atmosphere, which is convenient for the countryside a private house, cottage, cottage , where there is no centralized water supply or a weak pump. But be careful when choosing a model: some internal working pressure of 6-7 atmospheres so that the hot water flowed with a good head, because from the tank it must be raised , that is, the pressure in the system of the whole water supply system must be at least 4 atmospheres.
Accumulation water heaters can be installed in a single-phase network, which is important for people who live in older homes that have restrictions on consumption power electricity. No additional adjustments required: electricity consumption is minimal compared to flow-through heaters. The average power consumption is from 0.9 to 4 kW.
Installing the storage water heater does not require special skills, you just need to strictly follow the instructions. Similar situation with maintenance, since the tank needs periodic replacement of the anode group on average – every 2 years, in premium models – once in 5 years .
For the most part, all boiler models are safe. But, as well as when buying a flow heater, buy only products of famous brands, thank God, their list is great – for every taste and wallet. On dubious products do not pay your attention: because there is water and electricity – the level of protection must be very reliable.
+ Low power consumption water heating, but not heating a wide range of tank capacity low heat loss – once heated water can be used for a long time does not require a large head of water in the water system.
– Long heating of water to a predetermined temperature large size, limiting the placement.
AND WE HAVE GAS IN OUR APARTMENT
SOLUTION #1
Gas water heaters of flow type
Since childhood, we remember the round eyes of our grandmother, who frightened us children with a gas boiler – do not indulge with it the speaker , or it will explode! I still have a fear of this device. And I remember the ritual of ignition. It was an action!
But today everything has changed. Monsters have been replaced by elegant and handy devices, some of which are produced in our vast country. Gas water heaters can be with manual, electronic and piezo ignition. Manual ignition today is rather exotic, greetings from the 60s. Modern units use electronic and piezo ignition.
BURN, BURN CLEARLY
The first time you plug in a new heater, you press the igniter button – and it starts working. You open the tap with hot water – and after a few seconds it comes. The igniter smolders constantly, when you open the tap it activates – ignition occurs. The gas is consumed constantly, but in such tiny quantities that are not worthy of attention. Repeat the procedure for the first ignition will need only after a complete shutdown and restart of gas. When using such a unit, your friends will not even realize that you do not have central heating.
Premium class devices use electronic ignition. Here you do not need to kindle the igniter, to press the buttons, you just need to open the faucet, the rest will do electronics. It works from two AA batteries, they last about a year.
The level of safety of modern certified gas-fired units is the highest: a huge number of degrees of protection, up to blocking accidental ignition.
CHOOSE POWER
Now we need to decide on the capacity of the heater. They come in sizes from 7 to 30 kW. This figure is important when you need to determine the flow of water. For a family of two people the consumption is one, and four people consume more, and if relatives from Yaroslavl arrive to visit? Power reserve heating liters per minute one chooses for oneself.
WE LIKE IT?
Installing a gas water heater requires certain steps. If you already had a column, then you just buy a new one, call “gas men” – and the problem is solved. In a new, modern house to install a gas boiler is almost unrealistic, or it will cost a lot of nerve and material costs – the deception is not worth it.
And here in a private house – nice deal, if, of course, the house is connected to the gas. Although, one can not avoid approvals, and it is necessary to arrange a hood for the speaker, the ventilation of the room where the installation is carried out and the access to it. But the result is worth it!
The life of a modern water heater is designed for 10 – 15 years.
+ Ease of use, low cost per liter of water, the ability to adjust the temperature of heating.
– Long approval process, preparing conditions for installation.
DECISION #2
Gas storage water heater
If an electric boiler looks like an electric kettle, the gas boiler looks more like a samovar.
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN BY THE BONE
Inside the vertical tank is a pipe. A gas burner is installed at the bottom of the pipe. Heat from the burner travels down the pipe and heats the water.
The boiler maintains a constant temperature in the tank, adding cold water to the tank as needed. Water is heated up to 80 ° C. Mixing with cold water through the faucet, we get the desired temperature.
Both types of gas boilers come in two circuits. The second circuit serves for a home heating system, but that’s a topic for another article.
Pros and cons – as in the previous case.
DECISION # 3. EXOTIC
Solid fuel boiler
These monsters, popular at the time of the Soviet Union, even today find their fans.
The principle of operation is very simple: the tank is installed on the tang metal stove in a protective casing. A pipe runs through the tank. The tank is filled with cold water, we light a fire in the stove wood, coal, briquettes and wait until the water heats up to the desired temperature. The temperature of the water to determine by touch.
The efficiency of this unit is double – it heats the water and the room.
Water is ready? Wash until the water runs out. The next boil himself. We heat individually – someone very hot to serve cold through the faucet, someone slightly warm so as not to mix with the cold.
CONCLUSIONS
If you are single and live in an apartment building, in a studio or a small apartment, the electric instantaneous water heater is the best choice for you.
If you are a member of a family of three or four people and live in a private house or townhouse without mains gas or you’re inveterate countrymen, then the ideal option – an electric storage-type water heater.
It’s up to you to decide the size of the mixer.
And if you’re a villager cottage dwellers refer to them, too and you have a gas pipeline or a buried gas holder, you need a gas boiler of any type!
But then again, everyone decides for himself what he needs.
The choice of heater depends on the purpose for which it is purchased. The easiest way to look at concrete examples is to.
When it’s warm in summer, selecting a water heater might seem perplexing. Do you have any advice or guidelines for choosing the appropriate water heater for hot water needs during this season?
Inquiring minds want to know, what factors should one consider when selecting a water heater for the warmer months?
I’m curiously wondering, in warmer summer months, what factors should we take into consideration while selecting a water heater? Would a smaller capacity be sufficient as hot water usage decreases, or are there other aspects to consider? Any suggestions on energy-efficient models that could be suitable for the summer season? Thanks in advance for your input!