Before answering the question of how to choose a water heater, let's look at what devices are offered on our market. According to the principle of operation, they are flowing and accumulative. Flowing ones are those in which there is no storage capacity. The water in them is heated when opening the tap with running water. Accumulative - those that have an accumulative tank, and only the water that is poured there is heated. In more detail about how to choose a water heater according to the principle of its operation, we will consider below.
By the type of power source, there are devices operating on electricity, gas, liquid (diesel fuel, fuel oil) and solid (coal, peat, firewood) fuel. The latter include boilers installed in some boiler houses, in country houses or in the private sector. But due to a number of technical characteristics, fuel prices and installation standards, they are rarely used. Consider how to choose a water heater between gas and electric.
Gas have a number of important advantages. First of all, they have high power, the range of which ranges from 4-6 to 30 kW, while in electric these indicators are only from 1.5 to 12 (in rare cases, and only flowing) kW. Of course, they will heat water several times faster.
How to choose a water heater by power? Net power is considered, that is, one that provides heating of the liquid. The higher it is, the greater the volume per minute will heat up. But how much hot water is needed , everyone determines for himself. This depends, first of all, on the number of people in the house, as well as on the needs of the family.
The second significant advantage of gas water heaters is a lower gas price and a higher electricity price. Such devices are more expensive, but after a short period of time these costs are fully paid off, and then the owner of such an aggregate will benefit. There are a lot of brands of gas water heaters. Here are just a few of them: VAILLANT, ARISTON, DEMIR DOKUM, BERETTA, ELECTROLUX, JUNKERS, MORA, SAUNIER DUVAL. Manufacturing countries - Italy, Germany, Turkey, Czech Republic, Sweden, France.
Unfortunately, gas water heaters have one unpleasant drawback - installation difficulties. Here you need to observe many standards imposed by GOSTs and gas services, build a chimney, provide the necessary cubic capacity of the room in which the device will be installed, and if it is with an open burner, provide ventilation of the room, and so on. If all this is within its power - fine. If not, we opt for electric water heaters, which are installed much easier.
How to choose a storage electric water heater? An important parameter here is the volume of the tank and its internal coating. In our market, devices with a capacity of up to 200 liters are offered. It is clear that such a unit is not needed for a small family. When heating excess water, excess electricity will be consumed, for which you will have to pay. On average, for one person, taking into account that he will bathe, wash dishes, wash and so on, 50 to 80 liters of hot water are required. For 3 family members, a water heater with a tank volume of 100-150 liters is suitable.
According to the internal coating, titanium-coated devices are manufactured, coated with glass-porcelain and stainless steel. The most resistant to corrosion are titanium coated tanks. They are also the most expensive. Tanks coated with stainless steel are also quite resistant. Their service life is set to 10 years. In addition, they put a magnesium anode to help fight corrosion. As it collapses, it needs to be replaced with a new one, but this is rarely done in tanks with stainless steel.
Porcelain coated tanks are the cheapest, but the magnesium anode in them changes approximately once a year or two. The second drawback is that the porcelain coating “does not like” the high temperatures of heated water, and can be covered with cracks.
The following brands of such electrical appliances are offered on the market: ARISTON, IDROPI, ISEA, BAXI, EUROBOILER, THERMEX, AUSTRIA EMAIL, DEMIR DOKUM, DRAZICE and MORA, ELECTROLUX, AUSTRIA EMAIL, SIEMENS and many others. Manufacturing countries - Turkey, Czech Republic, Slovakia, England, Italy, Sweden, Germany.
How to choose a instantaneous water heater? Here it must be taken into account that such an aggregate produces an unlimited amount of quickly heated water, but cannot provide several points of consumption at the same time. The power of flowing heaters is much higher than accumulative. Considering the operating time, because the power is used only at the time of the heater’s operation, the flowing ones are more economical, but not every apartment has the opportunity to install an aggregate of the required power. Often this requires the connection of a stronger electrical core. Consumers who have the ability to install a instantaneous water heater get many advantages, the main of which is the lack of replacement of the magnesium anode, because it is not in such units. The second advantage is compactness. Third - unlimited instant hot water at the right time. Fourth is the price.
The main criterion for choosing a flowing water heater, in addition to power, is the type of its heating element. If these are heating elements, then it is placed in a copper sealed vessel and has no contact with water. Such devices are very reliable and do not depend on air congestion in the water supply. But at the exit they give water with a temperature of no higher than 45 degrees. If the heating element is made in the form of an open spiral, it will come in contact with water, but at the outlet its temperature will be up to 60 degrees. Most of all, such devices are suitable for hard water.
There are a lot of brands of instantaneous water heaters. Basically, they are produced by the same companies as the funded types. In addition to the above, I would like to note the Israeli brand ATMOR and the Polish KOSPEL.