Skip to main content

Water Heaters

By

Unhappy with the amount of hot water in the shower?

Ever been the last person in the morning to take a shower, only to find out that the three people before and the washing machine used up all the hot water?  Wonder why you've run out of water while you freeze during the shortest shower of your life?  It could depend on the size, age, and type of water heater you have.

First we'll go over the types of water heaters; tankless, direct & indirect water heaters. Direct and indirect water heaters use a tank that stores and heats the water in the tank to be used later.  This requires the water to heated and reheated as the water temperature can be maintained for awhile before it drops too low.



You might find a tank in your basement that is either near or possibly far from your boiler or furnace. A tank that is close and has piping that runs directly from the the heating system to the tank is a direct water heater.  This directly uses the heat from the heating system to heat the water in the tank.  An direct water heater has its own burner and independently heats the water in the tank.

Depending on the size of your tank you could easily run out of water if your size tank doesn't match the demand of your needs.  When you are selecting a water heating tank make sure to discuss what and how many people will be using the tank to ensure that the last person will have hot water.



A tankless water heater, heats water without a storage tank, allowing for a constant supply of hot water.  Using a gas fired burner or electric heater, cold water is heated through the system and to its destination as hot water.  Tankless water heaters are a bit more energy efficient as they only need to heat the water when it is called instead of heating and reheating water.

Tankless water are only fueled by Gas (Propane or Natural Gas) or electricity, while tanked water heaters can be fueled by oil, propane, natural gas, electricity, or the heat from your existing heating system. This limits some homes when it comes to tankless water heaters if propane or natural gas isn't a feasible option and electric may be too expensive.

Your best option is to talk to a dealer about what will best fit your home's water heating needs. A rule of thumb though is to replace your water heater if it's over 12 years old.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Being More Energy Efficient in the New Year

By
What is your New Year's Resolution? Many of us make resolutions to lose weight, get that promotion at work, find our soul mate, or to save or spend less money in the New Year. If your resolution is the later a great place to start is your home. Some of these suggestions might involve an up front cost but will save you money over several years. There are many appliances, devices, and products that we use on a daily basis in our home that could be eating up your money. From your water heater, to your heating system, light bulbs, tv's, and other electrical devices. Water heaters are a great place to start, with a lifespan of 7-9 on average and taking up 25% of your home's energy consumption, an update could help to reduce your monthly bills.  When looking for a new water heater it is important to take in consideration your needs or demands for hot water. How many people are in your home, what type of fuel source do you have in your home, how your want your water to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do you pick your heating company?

By
What do you fact the most price, service, or reputation? After last winter the thing that anyone wants to hear is that it's going to be cold and snowy again this year.  With the current price of oil pretty low as October 7, 2014 do other factors start to effect your decision to stay with your current provider or jump ship and shop around. The first and most prevalent factor that goes into to picking your heating provider is the price per gallon. With COD or cash on delivery companies the price can be fairly low right now if you visit NewEngland Oil  you'll notice several companies with prices in the low $3.00 range.  The down side with those companies is a lack of a service department. If you're heating system fails in the middle of a cold snap they don't have the staff to come out and fix it.  If price is the most important factor to you, make sure that you're heating system is in good condition or you might have more than the price of fuel to worry about. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Annual Maintenance

By
For a long lasting, energy efficient heating system, annual maintenance is a must. Every year you get an inspection for your vehicle to make sure that everything is running as it should so small issues don't become big problems.  Every so many miles you get a oil change, tire rotation, and have the air pressure checked in your tires. This is to ensure that your car stays at a peck level of operation, the same goes for a long lasting, energy efficient heating system. Annual maintenance, annual tune-up, or any of the other names that all mean having your heating system looked at is the easiest way to ensure that your heating system is running properly and will continue to run.  These type of service allows for a trained technician to thoroughly look over all of the components in your heating system, especially the burner. The burner is where the fuel that is used to heat your home is compressed into a fine mist that is then bur...
Post a Comment
Read more