How to choose a water heater for an apartment and for a country house

Video about the features of choosing water heaters

The video describes the general principle of selecting a boiler:

Practical tips for choosing a water heater:

Video on how to choose a gas instantaneous water heater:

You need to choose a water heater based on personal needs. If gas is supplied to the apartment, then it is better to purchase a gas column. It will allow you to fully satisfy the need for hot water in an uninterrupted mode, unlike electrical counterparts. If there is no gas in a private house or apartment, you should opt for electric storage water heaters, as they are more productive than instantaneous ones.

Types of water heaters

In general, water heaters are divided into:

1. Flowing. These include instantaneous electric water heaters and gas water heaters. Depending on the power, they can produce a certain amount of water;
2. Cumulative. Usually heated with electric heating elementov or gas. Storage can be direct (when the heat source is in the tank itself, heating element or gas nozzle) and indirect heating, in them the water is heated from the coolant (water from the heating system, for example) which flows through the heat exchanger (coil) inside the tank.

The difference between a storage water heater and a flow water heater

Storage water heaters are most often called boilers or tanks.

The body of the storage tank for heating water consists of three layers: Inner tank - thermal insulation - outer body.

The principle of its action is as follows. Water enters the tank through the inlet pipe, fills up, turns on the heating element, after which the water is heated to a predetermined temperature. When you open one of the taps (consumers), hot water enters the open tap through the outlet pipe. The pressure in the tank is created by the inlet pressure in the cold water pipe. The inlet pipe is usually located below the hot water intake point of the outlet pipe.

A storage water heater is called a boiler

If the water heater is electric direct heating, then an electric one is installed in the tank. heating element. This is the most common type of boiler. It takes some time to heat water from ten minutes to a couple of hours (depending on the volume of water being heated and its initial and desired temperature) - this is the main difference between storage and instantaneous water heaters, which provide hot water almost instantly.

But you have to pay for the heating rate, and the power of the flowers is usually more than 5 kW, otherwise you will get hot water at a very low pressure.

Important! To connect a powerful load above 3 kW to the home electrical network, it may be necessary to increase the allocated power to the apartment or organize a three-phase input. This entails paperwork and related work.

Due to the accumulative functions, such a container also occupies the corresponding volume in space. This also needs to be foreseen, because the boiler may simply not fit into your apartment.

The heated water maintains its temperature throughout the day, which additionally saves energy.

Thermal insulation is made of foamed polyurethane, there are also cheap models with foam rubber, but they retain heat worse. The thicker the insulating layer, the better. When choosing from two similar tanks, it is better to give preference to the one that is larger in size with the same volume, since it is likely that its thermal insulation will be thicker.

Storage water heater design

The table below shows the differences between flow and storage devices for hot water supply.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

1. Low power consumption;
2. Ease of installation. To install a geyser, you need to add it to the gas equipment plan of your apartment in order to install an electric storage heater. This means that installation will be cheaper and easier for you, you will only need to connect to the pipes DHW your apartment;
3. Low power allows you to connect to any outlet, and 16 A plugs can easily cope with the increased load, but you will have to turn off other powerful electrical appliances when the water is heated.

Flaws:

1. 1. The amount of hot water is limited by the capacity of the tank;
   2. Large containers are heavy and take up a lot of space;
   3. Not every apartment can hang a water heating tank due to the design of the walls;
   4. Depending on the region and area, it may be more profitable for you to install a flow-through gas heater (column).

Heater configuration and capacity

The shapes of storage-type heaters can be very diverse: a flat square, an oval, a vertical or horizontal rectangle. The configuration is selected not so much for aesthetic reasons, but depending on the available installation space.

square tank

Round storage

Horizontal flat heater

Vertical cylindrical boiler

1. Horizontal tanks are usually mounted above a doorway, or when the bottom of the wall is occupied by other equipment.
2. The vertical one will fit perfectly into the wall, or, as shown in one of the photos, it can be squeezed between the sink and the washer.
3. The place must be determined in advance so that there is something to guide when choosing the configuration and dimensions of the device.

For a horizontal tank, the ideal place is above the door

Where to put the vertical heater

Niche in the bathroom for a boiler

By volume, the tanks are selected based on the number of people living in the apartment and the type of plumbing equipment used.Most of all, water is required for taking a bath - about 50-60 liters. If you just take a shower, then this volume is enough for two people. The third will have to wait until a new portion of water is heated. 10-15 liters are enough for washing dishes, and in order not to waste them from a large boiler, you can install a separate, smaller one under the sink in the kitchen.

The principle of operation and the device of the boiler

Before choosing a model, you need to understand the features of the work. The storage type technique is a metal tank, the volume can be different. From the inside, the walls are covered with enamel, which protects against corrosion. It contains a heating element and a magnesium anode. Outside covered with a layer of thermal insulation, the body is made of sheet metal.

Water pipes are connected to it. In the tank, water accumulates and heats up to a predetermined temperature. After that, the heating element is periodically turned on for heating, and thermal insulation minimizes losses.

Scheme of the device of an electric water heater:

There are models that run on gas fuel. The design of the tank is similar to the electric one, but instead of the heating element, there is a heat exchanger inside - a coil made of steel, brass, copper. A coolant circulates in it, which is heated by a gas burner located below. There is an exhaust hood on top, through which combustion products are removed.

Scheme:

Storage boiler - a guarantee of a constant supply of hot water

AT apartments with autonomous heating and in private houses where there is no central water supply, it is economically unprofitable to operate flow devices due to the high consumption of electricity. In such dwellings, it is better to install a storage water heater.It is supplied with a reservoir with a volume of 10-500 liters. Such a water heater is mounted on the wall or on the floor. It guarantees a constant supply of hot water, the amount of which is determined by the needs of the residents.

Storage boiler in the bathroom

The heat-insulated container (oblong or round), which the storage boiler has, has a heating element. The latter heats the water up to 35–85 °C and constantly maintains the liquid at a given temperature level. You can open the faucet at any time and get hot water. The set liquid temperature is maintained automatically.

This principle of operation of the unit guarantees low electricity costs.

It is also important that the storage water heater of any model is connected to a 220-volt outlet. The power of the storage water heater is not more than 3 kW

An important advantage of such boilers is the ability to supply hot water to all apartment water points.

Tips for choosing a storage device:

Calculate the consumption (approximate) of water per person per day

Multiply this value by the number of permanent residents and you get the volume of the tank that the boiler should have.
Take into account the free space in the room where the water heater will be installed. Buy a device that will fit in the room without any problems, will not interfere with the residents and at the same time will fit well into the interior.
Do not take too large a boiler

It makes no sense to spend money on heating water that you will not use.

Pro tip - always install reputable water heaters. It is better to overpay for products of time-tested brands (Ariston, Electrolux, AEG), but be sure of its quality.