On Demand Water Heater
An on demand water heater (also known as an electric tankless water heater) is a breakthrough in the heating technology that solved the problems caused by traditional water heaters that required their water storage tanks to be completely filled and then all the water inside the tank to be heated. This traditional approach is inefficient in terms of time and the energy consumed to heat such a large quantity of water before providing hot water from the taps. In addition, these new on demand (or tankless) water heaters provide an extra benefit by heating only as much water as needed by the users. In older models with tanks, most of the time people weren’t using the whole tank that was heated and part of the water that was heated was being wasted when it cooled down and needed to be heated again for the next use.
On Demand Water Heater: Working Principals
On demand water heater
The working principal of an on demand water heater is rather simple. The water passes through a series of pipes (the number of pipes and the total water heating capacity depends on the model of the heater) where it is heated by a series of coils attached to the pipes and then directly discharged to the taps as hot water. This mode of operation provides serious energy savings since the moment you turn off the tap, the heater will stop heating the water. When compared with the traditional water heaters, electrical on demand water heaters or gas fired water heaters that provide on demand water heating save consumers from consuming sizable amounts of electricity or gas to heat hundreds of gallons of water that would eventually be wasted.
And the advantages of on demand water heaters are not limited to energy-efficiency as well; they also provide significant time savings too. Before these innovative products, you would have to wait for quite a while for the whole tank to be filled with water and then for the whole amount of water inside the tank to be heated to the desired degree before you would be able to take a shower. But thanks to the new technology of on demand water heaters, you can now take your shower immediately and whenever you want since the hot water will be provided as soon as you turn the tap on.
On Demand Water Heater: Capacity and Price
Perhaps the only disadvantage of on demand water heaters is that most of them can support one bathroom (or one person using the hot water) at any time. The capacity of the water heater is generally determined by the number of pipes and consequently the volume of water that can be processed and heated at one time. However, this only applies to cheaper models with limited capacity. If the price is not an issue, there are very advanced, high capacity models that support up to six baths at a time. But of course, they come with a much higher price tag when compared to smaller models.
If you need a simple, low capacity on demand water heater that will provide enough hot water for one person at a time, you can purchase one of the simpler models sold in the market for as low as $200. But if you have a rather large household and family and you need more capacity, you may need to pay up to $3,000 for an advanced heater that supports a 6 full bath home.