WATER HEATERS - WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE?
In order to be able to independently provide hot water at home, it is necessary to heat it in some way. This can be achieved in various ways. One of the most popular ways is by connecting an electric heating boiler. But before we buy it, we need to know what volume and power boiler will be sufficient. In this article, you can familiarize yourself with the types of water heaters, the electricity consumed and some water heating alternatives.
There are three types of electric water heaters - vertical, horizontal and combined.
Vertical and horizontal ones differ only in terms of position, but the combined ones can be connected to the heating system, thus saving money. When the heating is working, the warm water will circulate through the spiral located in the boiler, it heats the water in the water heater, if the heating system is turned off or is unable to heat the water, then the electric heating element will do it.
WHAT VOLUME OF WATER HEATER TO CHOOSE?
Water heaters of various volumes are available, starting from 5 liters up to the large 500 liters. If you choose a boiler with too small a volume, you may run out of hot water while washing and you will have to wait until it heats up again, but if you choose a heater with too large a volume, you will spend money unnecessarily and will have higher electricity consumption. Water heaters up to a volume of 30 liters are intended only for washing dishes and hands, while boilers of 300 liters are for large or even several families.
WATER HEATED HEATING RATE
Just as we found out the volume of the boiler, we need to know how often we will use hot water and whether several people will be doing it at the same time. The boiler of each volume has its own heating time, so if the people living in the house are used to going to wash at their own time (one in the morning and the other in the evening), even then a large volume boiler is not needed. The boiler will be able to heat the water by the time another person wants to use it.
ADDITIONAL EXTRAS FOR WATER HEATERS
Thermoregulator - in order for the boiler to consume less electricity, it must adjust the temperature, everyone will have their own, depending on the intensity of use. We do this with a thermoregulator, there are also water heaters for sale that have a built-in display that shows the current and adjusted temperature, heating time and, of course, the clock.
Stainless steel body - corrosion develops in the body of a standard boiler over time, for this reason water heaters made of stainless steel or special plastic that does not rust can be purchased. Such boilers have a longer life, but their price is also higher.
Heating element in the housing - Most all water heaters have the heating element embedded in the water, while others have it embedded in a separate housing and do not come into contact with the water. Of course, a heating element inserted in this way does not get limescale, but the water is heated more slowly, and it also consumes a little more electricity.
ALTERNATIVES FOR WATER HEATING.
Instantaneous water heater – works by running water through a coil that is heated by electricity. It is small in size, so it does not take up much space. The advantage of an instantaneous water heater compared to a water heater is that it only consumes electricity when hot water is being drawn, thus saving electricity when not in use. However, to fully meet our needs, it requires a large power, from 3.5 - 24 kW and more, so a 380 volt (three-phase) connection is required.
Gas Water Heater – This heater heats water in a similar way to an instantaneous water heater, only it uses gas to heat the water. This type of water heating is cheaper than electricity, but its installation is complicated and relatively expensive. In order to install it, a gas supply is required, as well as the burnt gas must be discharged into the field, a ventilation chimney should be provided through it, and the help of certified craftsmen is also needed to install it.
Wood/Electric Water Heater – This type of water heater is wood fired but can also be heated with electricity. Usually, the water volume of such a water heater is from 80 to 120 liters, heating it with wood, it heats up within 20 minutes, while with electricity, it would take 2 hours. However, a chimney is required to install it, and it can also be placed on the floor, so it takes up more space.
Solar water heating system – water is heated by the sun, flowing through special glass tubes, and this heated water heats the water intended for use. Undeniably, this water heating system is the cheapest to operate, but during the winter period it must be supplemented with another heating system. Also, its purchase and installation costs will be relatively high.
Which brand to choose :
Good quality water heaters :
ATLANTIC - Country of manufacture France. Depending on the model, water heater production plants are located in France, Egypt and Ukraine. Warranty 2-7 years, depending on the model.
FERROLI - Made in Italy. The production plant of these water heaters is located in Italy. Warranty 2-5 years, depends on the model.
ARISTON - Made in Italy. The production plant of these water heaters is located in Italy and China (some models). Warranty 2-7 years, depending on model.
GORENJE - Country of manufacture Slovenia. The production plant of these water heaters is located in Serbia. Warranty 2-5 years, depends on the model
DRAŽICE - Country of manufacture Czech Republic. The production plant of these water heaters is located in the Czech Republic. Warranty 2-5 years, depending on the model.
All these water heaters have no problems with spare parts. Even if you can't find them, you can replace them with something similar.
Average quality water heaters:
Low quality water heaters :
Elektolux, Thermex and Etalon water heaters manufactured in China from low-quality materials are available on the Latvian market.
As far as we know, the Electrolux company in 2016 stopped its production in the EU (Spain) and sold the brand to a Chinese manufacturer. Therefore, these water heaters are now imported from China or Russia to the Latvian market.
Etalon - Chinese heaters are usually bought by people because of the low price, without thinking about its quality and consequences - leaked neighbors, etc.!
Thermex - was once produced in Russia. Now these water heaters are made in China with very low quality. We have noticed that these water heaters have quite big problems with quality, and some of them barely pass the warranty - 2 years!
TESY - Water heaters are sold by a few stores in Latvia. The availability of spare parts for maintenance is below every criticism, close to zero!
