A Shopping Guide For Hot Water Heaters
With so many different brands and models of water heaters in the market today, you cannot be blamed for requiring a shopping guide when looking for a new water heater. Water heaters have so many different features that you may require the assistance of an experienced professional plumber when buying a new water heater. Some of these water heaters use two or more fuels. Other water heater models are more efficient than others. And there are three distinct types of water heaters by functional design. In this shopping guide, we will look at the different types of water heaters by functional design and by fuel type. We will also at all the important factors that you should consider when buying a new water heater, which includes the installation space, efficiency, hot water needs in your homestead, and the quality or warranty of the hot water heater. Let us start by looking at all the different types of water heaters.
Types Of Water Heaters
As mentioned above, there are three different types of water heaters. This classification is based on their functional designs. The most popular or most commonly used water heater is called the conventional storage water heater. This model features a storage tank or reservoir for holding hot water after heating and before consumption. A conventional storage or standard tank water heater is preferred by most customers because it’s relatively cheaper to purchase and set up. The other type f water heater is called a tankless water heater. Also called on demand or instantaneous water heaters , these models do not have a hot water storage tank but instead heat the required water on demand. Tankless water heaters are more expensive to buy and install than conventional storage models but they are also more efficient to operate and hence end up costing much less in the long run. The other type of water heater according to functional design is the hybrid heat pump water heater. By sucking heat from the surrounding air, this model heats water in the most efficient way. Heat pump water heaters may be more expensive to install and maintain but they cost the least to operate.
Factors To Consider When Buying A New Water Heater
There are several factors that you should always bear in mind when buying a new water heater. These factors will help you choose the right water heater in line with your hot water needs and other personal reasons.
Fuel Type
You should always consider the type of fuel used by a specific water heater before purchase. You should always ensure that this type of fuel is available in your locality. You should also ensure that this type of fuel is affordable. The main types of fuels used to power hot water heaters are electricity, natural gas, propane, geothermal energy, fuel oil, and solar.
Efficiency
The functional design of a water heater determines its efficiency. Hybrid heat pump water heaters are the most efficient followed by tankless water heaters and finally we have the heat loosing conventional storage models.
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