Factors to Consider When Acquiring a Tankless Water Heater
If your old water heater is on its last legs, and you are considering updating to a tankless hot water heater, there are some factors to consider you must take a look at. Installing a new tankless hot water heater is affordable, so you wish to make certain you choose the ideal one.
The first thing to consider is the brand. Has the business been producing tankless water heaters for a long time or is this a brand-new division of their company? Typically, an established company will have invested countless dollars and hours on the research and development of its items. Thus, yielding a generally better item.
Next, you will want to comprehend what size system you need for your house. This is based on the gallons per minute (GPM). You will need to calculate the number of fixtures and their circulation rates, which will run at the exact same time. For example, running 1 shower (2.5 GPM) and 1 bathroom faucet (1 GPM) at the same time requires 3.5 GPM of warm water. Likewise, the Temperature Rise (TR) the unit can produce. If the mainline to your house has a temperature level of 55 F and you need to have the water warmed to 110 F you would need a TR of 55 F.
Manufacturers rate their systems by GPM. Nevertheless, there is no set standard on the TR. Manufacture “A” might rank a system at 6.5 GPM with a TR of 45 F and Manufacture “B” may rank their system at 6.5 GPM with a TR of 55 F. Manufacturer “B” is going to be a much better fit for your requirements if you require a TR of 55 F. You may wish to review the producer’s TR charts.
The British Thermal Unit (BTU) is another score that makers utilize to rank their tankless water heaters. A BTU is the quantity of energy required to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Most residential units vary from 120,000 BTU to 199,000 BTU. BTU is among the main considers how quick and how hot the best tankless hot water heater can heat up water.
In conjunction with the BTU score, you would like to know if the gas worth is regulating. The modulating gas value changes the gas flow to match the required energy to warm the required water. For instance, if you just need 1 GPM of water the system will just burn sufficient gas to heat up the 1 GPM of water. All the systems we have evaluated do have some sort of regulating gas value. Some older systems do not have this function.
The Energy Factor (EF) is another thing to consider. The easiest description of EF is that for each dollar invested in gas, X% of that goes to heating the water. The higher EF the more energy-efficient the tankless hot water heater is. Think of the EF as resembling the miles per gallon for an automobile. EF varieties from 0.78 all the way to as much as 0.96. The EF rating is when the system is running at its max efficiency. When the unit is heating less water, the EF will decrease.
The higher EF scores use a 2nd heat exchanger which records the invested exhaust and uses it to preheat the incoming water. This is fantastic because you are getting more value and the system is discharging fewer greenhouse gases.
You will want to know the max temperature a unit can heat up water up to. Many property systems will max out at 120 F. A few of the bigger units can increase to 185 F. Most households will not need anything over 120 F, however, you may have special situations to merit such a high water temperature level.
You can read all the glossy pamphlets offered by the manufacturers, however, you will want to dig down deep into the technical documents while doing your tankless hot water heater reviews. Spending some time now will help you pick the best water heater for your family.