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When making a decision on what type of
water heater you need for your home you should consider how
many people live in the home as well as what type of climate
you live in.
Knowing the type of climate
that you live in, how many people living in your home, and
where your hot water heater is located in your house can
help you decide if you should replace your old traditional
water heating system with an alternate water heating system,
such as a tankless system.
Listed below are the different types of water heating
systems, available to you:
Electric hot water tank:
Electric hot water tank heaters utilize heating elements
located at the extreme top and bottom of the tank. Electric
hot water heaters do not require vents. Therefore, you can
install them nearly anywhere. Because they don't need vents,
you can install or put them wherever you feel is the best
location.
Induced draft gas hot water tanks:
This system uses a fan located at the top of the tank to
induce movement of the combustion gases from the home.
Because of the combustion gas exhaust fan pressure, there is
no worry about the back drafting combustion gas spillage.
However, you will need to purchase a condensing furnace,
which works great with this type of heating system.
Natural draft gas hot water tanks:
Natural draft gas hot water heaters are inexpensive systems.
These systems use a naturally aspirating burner and draft
hood that is attached to a vertical chimney vent. However,
natural draft gas hot water heaters are more subjected to
combustion gas spillage than induced draft gas hot water
heaters. Therefore, with natural draft gas systems you will
need to ensure that you have furnace, which is compatible
and works well with this system. However, it is unadvisable
to install this type of system into a highly energy
efficient home, because these home have a tendency to be
more airtight.
Direct vent gas hot water tanks:
Direct vent or sealed combustion water heater carries
combustion air in from the outside, as it vents out the
combustion gases through a single concentric pipe. There is
no worry about spillage with these systems because there is
no interconnection between the burner and the air inside the
home.
Tankless water heater:
Whether you call then on demand, instantaneous water
heaters, or tankless water heater, they are hot water
heating systems that do not have tanks, provide hot water
when needed, are energy efficient and are either a gas or
electricity driven unit. When the hot water faucet is
opened, the flow of water turns on the heating element,
which heats the water as it runs through copper tubes. When
the faucet is shut, the heating element is turned off.
Solar Units:
Solar heaters receive their power from the sun's energy,
which they use to heat the water. Depending on where you
live, you can purchase a reliable solar heater and use it as
your main hot water heater or as a back up system. If you
use it as your main source of hot water, then you want to
purchase a solar hot water system that also permits you to
use either electric or gas as a back up system.
When deciding to replace your current system, take you time
and research which system would best meet your needs, as
well as save you on your energy bills. In order to make the
best decision, you have to understand the many differences
between the various types of hot water systems, including
matching the right system to your life style so that you
will be guaranteed to have the amount of hot water when you
need it.
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