Get Into Hot Water: Choosing a Water Heater

(guest post by By Bryce Geib)

Professional Advice for Choosing the Right Water Heater

Many homeowners never think about their water heater until there’s a problem. A leak or equipment failure can grab your attention quickly—and may result in costly emergency repair or unexpected and inconvenient emergency replacement.

When you consider that many water heaters could provide reliable hot water for a decade or longer, choosing one for your home is not a minor decision. Stressful circumstances are not the ideal time for selecting the right water heater to meet your family’s needs. It’s best to think about your next water heater while the one you have is still in good working condition.

Taking time and working closely with a trusted plumbing professional can help homeowners identify a water heating solution designed specifically to meet their needs and maximize comfort and value.

If you’ve never given a lot of consideration to your water heater, you may not be aware of all the options available.

Tank-style—Storage tank water heaters keep a reservoir of water heated and ready for normal, everyday use. There are multiple types of water heaters in this grouping, including heat pump water heaters and indirect water heaters.

Instead of generating heat directly, heat pump water heaters shift energy from one place to another to heat your home’s water supply.

Indirect water heaters use a home’s space heating system to heat water.

Tankless—Tankless water heaters are another major category. Tankless water heaters directly heat water in response to demand from faucets or appliances, without storing a ready supply until it is needed.

Additionally, water heating technology can rely on one of multiple energy sources. Electric and natural gas are the most common sources of energy for water heaters, but many others are available, including propane and solar.

Each water heater category has specific benefits, depending on your needs and a variety of other conditions. The right solution depends on many factors, including your own personal priorities—energy efficiency, cost, or supplying for a growing family.

Options in water heaters include tankless styles, conventional tank styles, heat pump water heaters, and more. Image courtesy Bradford White Corp. 

It’s important to remember, however, that this is a major decision for your home. A trained and experienced plumber who understands today’s water heating technology and its real-world applications is the best guide through this complex process.

A qualified professional is essential during the process of identifying and installing the right water heater. Skilled and trained professional plumbers can expertly evaluate the various factors that will shape your selection, helping you understand the product specifications and features.

Homeowners and their trusted plumbing professionals should consider the following factors when selecting a new water heater for home installation:

·       Sizing: The first factor to consider is size. It’s essential to identify and install a water heater appropriately sized for the space and demands of your home. How many people live in the home? How many bathrooms are there? Plumbing professionals have access to reliable, up-to-date sizing calculation tools that can help find the right sized equipment for your home. Don’t forget that specialized or luxury appliances and fixtures, such as a hot tub or high-pressure shower head, can affect the calculation.

·       Infrastructure: The energy grid supplying your home can determine which products will work best for you and your family. In states and municipalities that are heavily regulating the use of natural gas, demand for electric water heaters is rising. (Editor’s Note: Most electric models require a 220- to 240-volt electrical circuit, so it's important to check the home's electrical panel to ensure it can handle the additional load.) In areas where natural gas is a common energy source, gas water heaters can be a convenient option with excellent long-term value. Often, installation of a different category of water heater may require home upgrades and renovations.

·       Application: The physical location of the water heater in the home and what it will be used for can play a big role in selecting the right equipment. Tankless water heaters may work well in smaller homes, where space is limited. However, the same tankless water heater may not be able to supply adequate hot water for a family in a larger home with more bathrooms and fixtures that they plan to run simultaneously.

Shown are the basic configurations of tank-style water heaters.

Many homeowners are concerned about both the rising costs of energy and their impact on the global environment, so energy efficiency continues to be a priority. Here are some ratings and guides that can help you identify the most efficient products—but remember that energy consumption will depend on a range of many other factors, so discuss any efficiency claims with your plumbing professional.

·       Uniform Energy Factor:  Uniform Energy Factor (UEF) refers to a water heater’s efficiency under standardized operating conditions and is determined by a simulated use test specified by the U.S. Department of Energy. When compared to similar products of the same fuel type, a water heater with a higher UEF rating uses less energy.

·       EnergyGuide: EnergyGuide labels are easy to read and relate to. The familiar yellow labels show an estimate of how much energy a water heater uses and how that compares to similar equipment. The label also shows estimated annual operating costs. The estimates are based on typical use patterns and a national average for energy prices.

·       Thermal/Recovery Efficiency: Looking more closely at specific products, you’ll notice thermal efficiency ratings or recovery efficiency ratings, which measure how much of the energy generated or transferred by a water heater is expended directly on the heating of water. The higher the number, the more efficient the water heater is. For example, if a water heater is 80 percent thermal efficient, 80 percent of the energy that powers the heater is applied directly to heating water. High-efficiency products can deliver around 90-percent thermal efficiency or higher. For gas water heaters, thermal efficiency depends on the heat exchanger design of each model. Electric water heaters, on the other hand, provide uniform thermal efficiency of 98 percent. 

Water heaters may not be a high priority for many homeowners. But installing a water heater that’s not suited for your home can be a source of stress and inconvenience for several years. Inefficiency could result in unnecessarily high energy costs, and poor configuration could add excess wear and tear, meaning you may have to replace it sooner. On the other hand, working closely with an experienced qualified professional to find and install the right water heater can help ensure you and your family experience value, comfort, and peace of mind for years to come.

Author bio: Bryce Geib is team lead – product application specialist at Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of water heaters, boilers and storage tanks.

SIDE NOTE 1

How does a Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) work?

It's generally easier to move something than to make something. Putting that principle to use, HPWHs use electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of generating heat directly. A HPWH takes the heat from surrounding air and transfers it to water in an enclosed tank.

During periods of high hot water demand, HPWHs automatically switch to standard electric resistance heat (hence they are often referred to as “hybrid” hot water heaters). HPWHs come with control panels that allow you to select from different operating modes.

Note that installations of heat pump water heaters which have earned the Energy Star are eligible for a tax credit in the United States. Homeowners can claim 30 percent of the project cost or a maximum of $2,000. — Source: www.energy.gov 

SIDE NOTE 2

How does an indirect water heater work?

Instead of using electric or gas heating elements in the storage tank itself, indirect water heaters use heat-transfer coils that run between the tank and either a boiler or furnace. The fluid in the coil is heated and then cools off in the water tank, cycling back through to the heat source.

SIDE NOTE 3

What is an expansion tank for water heaters?

An expansion tank is a small secondary tank that is connected to the water supply pipe of the water heater. The expansion tank is designed to handle the thermal expansion of water as it heats up in the water heater, equalizing water pressure throughout the plumbing system to prevent excessive pressure. Image courtesy Bradford White Corp. 

SIDE NOTE 4

Why You Should Insulate Hot Water Pipes

Insulating your hot water pipes reduces heat loss and can raise water temperature 2°F to 4°F hotter than uninsulated pipes can deliver, allowing you to lower your water temperature setting. You also won't have to wait as long for hot water when you turn on a faucet or showerhead, which helps conserve water.

If there are uninsulated water pipes in or near exterior walls, they can burst in freezing weather, which can be catastrophic. Having the insulation done during new construction of a home, during other work on your water heater or pipes, or insulating the pipes yourself, is well worth the effort.

In special cases, such as when the fuel used for heating water is very expensive, the distance traveled by the pipes is far, the pipes are exposed to very cold air (in which case they should be insulated anyway to prevent freezing), and if the household uses a lot of water, much higher energy savings can be obtained. — Source: www.energy.gov 

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