Before choosing a water heater, you should figure out how it works. On sale are many different and in volume and type of construction of water heaters. A person who does not understand the intricacies of water heating equipment, as a rule, is lost among such a variety and either listens to the advice of the seller, or to friends and acquaintances who have real experience in using this or that boiler.
The second option is certainly better, but it will not be superfluous to learn to understand water heaters yourself. In addition to which brand is more reliable or powerful, there are still nuances associated with the specific conditions of the intended use of the boiler - daily water analysis, depending on the number of residents and the intensity of use of hot water, the voltage in the house is 220 or 380 volts, seasonality of use, size of the boiler room And so on.
Water heater device
Any water heater (boiler) consists of a tank (tank) of a certain volume and a special element that heats the water in it. The temperature to which the appliance should heat water is set by the user. Upon reaching a predetermined temperature, the device maintains it at a predetermined level. At the same time, energy is economically consumed, and hot water is constantly in the water heater, with which you can wash dishes, take a bath or shower, and more.
The water heater is especially relevant in cases where there is no hot water supply or there are interruptions with it. Then the question arises of acquiring a storage water heater.
Water heater classification
Water heaters having an accumulative principle are:
Electric boilers are dependent on the availability of electricity in the network. Without it, they cannot function. Therefore, in regions where there are frequent power outages, gas water heaters are relevant. In addition, gas is quite cheap compared to electricity. If the electricity is turned off not often and not for long, then the solution may be to purchase an electric water heater and generator.
Boilers of all types have both advantages and disadvantages that you should be aware of before choosing the right unit for yourself.
Water heater power
The main advantage of a gas water heater over an electric one is the time during which it heats the water. Gas models have power from 4 to 6 kW, while electric boilers usually have 1.5-3 kW.
So, if, for example, the device has a tank with a volume of 150 liters, then the burner generates 7 kW for a gas boiler. Under the same conditions, an electric heater has a power of up to 3 kW. Therefore, a gas water heater will heat a given volume of water in about an hour or a little longer, while an electric one will cope with the same task in 3-4 hours.
Installation and installation features
Before purchasing a storage water heater, it is important to determine the place of its installation. When installing a gas appliance, there are some difficulties associated with the need for an additional smoke exhaust system. Since gas boilers come with both a closed and an open combustion chamber, the nuances of the installation are also associated with this.
So, if the water heater has a closed chamber, then the installation is relatively easy to perform, although the boiler itself is not cheap. You can not say about installing a device with an open camera, where both installation and the device itself will cost much more.
Judging by the reviews, storage water heaters, powered by electricity, are very popular because they do not need a separate power line, and they are connected to a conventional power grid.
Tank volume
When choosing a water heater, an important criterion is its volume. Or in other words, its capacity. There should be plenty of hot water, only in this case, its operation will be comfortable, and the user will not lack hot water.
Of course, a boiler with a large tank is more expensive, and it is sometimes not at all easy to place it in an ordinary apartment. Therefore, it is worth approaching the issue of choosing a storage water heater with all seriousness, so that on the one hand - not to overpay the extra money, and on the other - to get a completely resolved problem with providing hot water to your home.
How to calculate the parameters of a water heater
First you need to consider all the people who will use hot water. Since everyone has different needs, one should take into account as many points as possible, consider all possible expenses of hot water: washing dishes, washing, taking a bath and shower, washing, washing hands and so on. It is also necessary to consider the number of bathrooms, sinks, bathtubs and showers.
If you only need hot water for washing dishes - a boiler with a tank of about 10 liters is quite suitable. However, in practice, water heaters are usually purchased not only for washing dishes, but for a much larger number of domestic needs.
For example, a standard bathtub has a volume of about 190 liters. Of course, the bath is never filled to the very edge, a certain amount of water will be displaced by the human body, cold water will be added. As a result, it turns out that for taking a bath, the boiler will not need to heat water above 50 degrees and it will need about 80 liters. If the temperature is set higher, then the water flow will also decrease.
In the same way, the estimated amount of hot water consumed for all family members and various needs should be calculated. As a result, a figure should be obtained that reflects the amount of water that should be in the boiler in order to provide all the needs of the living people.
Expert opinions
It is believed that for washing hands enough to have a model with a tank capacity of about 15 liters. If you need a shower, then a storage tank of 30 liters is quite suitable. Such models are quite economical and easy to install next to the shower or under the sink. For a family of 2-3 people this is the best summer cottage option.
There are water heaters with large volumes. They will suit a family with a lot of people. So boilers with a volume of up to 1 ton and working from a conventional outlet are suitable for hot water supply of a whole private house.
So, for a family of up to 3 people, up to 150 liters is enough. If the family consists of 4 people, then the tank will need about 200 liters.
Anyone who purchases a water heater first of all wants to buy it and not have a shortage of hot water. However, for example, a storage tank of 50 liters, will not be able to provide hot water, who decided to lie in the bath one after another two people. After all, the boiler needs time to heat the water, and if it is drained from the tank, it will take as much time as at the beginning. In this case, you need to buy a device with a volume of 150-160 liters.
You should not buy too large a storage water heater, unless the need for water is not round-the-clock. Otherwise, excess hot water will not cover the cost of purchasing the device.
Tank inner cover
The inner surface of any water heater must be coated with a special material that prevents corrosion. As such a coating is usually porcelain, enamel or stainless steel. The titanium coating has proved to be quite good.
The life of the boiler depends on the anticorrosive material and the quality of the coating on the inner surface of the tank. And the cost of the device depends on the type of coating. Corrosion-resistant materials have different costs, which also depends on the degree of their resistance to corrosion.
Features of coatings
The best storage water heaters are considered to be models having a coating of the inner walls in the form of enamel and glass porcelain. The cost of these materials is quite reasonable, and they resist corrosion well. But they have quite significant drawbacks. They react extremely negatively to temperature jumps, up to the appearance of small cracks. Therefore, it is better to purchase models with such coatings if it is supposed to heat water no higher than 60 degrees. But there is a downside - at low temperatures heating the water, bacteria will inevitably begin to develop in it.
In order to prevent the appearance of harmful bacteria in the tank, it is recommended to periodically raise the temperature of heating the water. It is also worth considering that the warranty period for water heaters with this type of coating usually does not exceed one year.
Among the boilers there are also those that have a warranty period of up to 10 years. This can boast of appliances whose tanks are internally coated with stainless steel or titanium enamel. But judging by some reviews of storage water heaters of this type, and they have their drawbacks. Over time, in the places of welding, reacting with water, these materials supposedly begin to affect the smell and taste of water. Although users who have been using such boilers for a long time do not complain about such a problem.
An additional protection to the inner tank is provided by the installation of a magnesium anode. It must be changed approximately once a year. They are also installed in stainless steel-coated water heaters, but they do not require such frequent replacement, since the steel is more resistant to corrosion.
Features of heating water
The water heating time directly depends on the power of the heating element - the water heating element. To increase the power, many electric heaters of 50 liters in volume are installed not one, but two heating elements.
The user is given the right to regulate how many heaters to use - all or only one. In addition, in the event of failure of one, the second will continue to work. The boiler, although it will lose half the power, will remain operational until repairs are carried out.
Safety and comfort
In the design of water heaters there are elements that are responsible not for heating water, but for the safe operation of the device. The main one is the thermostat, which is responsible for controlling the temperature of the water. It is advisable that the boiler also has an additional thermostat. But this is rather a rare exception to the rule.
Thermal insulation is also important. The thicker the layer, the better. Usually in storage water heaters of 100 liters in volume, the water manages to cool down by about 7 degrees per day. There is a pattern: the larger the boiler, the thicker the insulation layer. Therefore, in smaller models and water cools faster than in those with a larger tank volume. When choosing a water heater, it is recommended to pay attention to the size of the magnesium anode. The larger it is, the less often it will have to be changed.
Unit cost
The prices of storage water heaters range from 5,000 to 50,000 rubles. A model with a small tank can be purchased for about 5,000 rubles. The price also depends on the manufacturer. So, the model of an accumulative water heater of 80 liters from the company Bosch Tronic 2000T ES 80 will cost about 5 500 rubles. It is believed that the highest quality boilers are made in Germany. Italian models are much cheaper, but although it is believed that German ones are of better quality, there is no fundamental difference between them. They are arranged equally.
The German model of a storage tank of 30 liters - AEG EWH 30 Trend costs about 22 000 rubles.
Nevertheless, it can be noted that German appliances are noticeably larger than Italian or Turkish. The point is the thermal insulation layer - in German boilers it is much thicker. Due to this, the water in them cools by about 5 degrees per day, thereby saving energy.
The best storage water heaters, characterized by quality, reliability and ease of use, are considered units of the Italian company Thermex. Any Thermex water heater is made using a special technology invented in Japan, as a result of which there is almost no metal corrosion at the weld sites.
In addition, these models have the function of accelerated heating if necessary, which allows you to quickly get hot water and save time.
Another, no less well-known Italian manufacturer of electric storage water heaters is Ariston. The company presents a very diverse lineup. Each model has an enameled water tank and a mounted magnesium anode. These measures are aimed at combating corrosion and significantly extend the life of the boilers. The model with the smallest tank is represented by an electric storage tank of 50 liters.
Ariston company occupies a large part of the market for water heaters and produces about three hundred models. Ariston storage water heaters favorably differ in power, ease of installation and installation. Boilers of this company always have a modern and stylish design.
The well-known manufacturer of hot water equipment from Sweden, the company Timberk, is famous for both high-quality storage water heaters of 80 liters, and larger models. The company has production facilities worldwide. It is popular due to the high-quality materials from which the boiler bodies are made, high performance and high reliability of the devices. Along with these advantages, products of this brand are not cheap.
AEG is a German brand that produces boilers with one of the highest degrees of water protection among its competitors. In addition, AEG devices do not weigh much. For example, an accumulative water heater of 50 liters of the AEG EWH 50 Trend model weighs only 21.4 kilograms. These boilers efficiently consume electricity, but also cost much more than analogs as a result.