Everything You Need To Know When Choosing a Water Heater

Winter is coming, and it’s the time of year where homeowners scramble to get their hot water heaters fixed, replaced or installed. The vast majority of homeowners wait until their water heaters fail before hunting for hot water heater replacements in Vancouver. Being in a hurry to have hot water every day, they often forget about buying an energy efficient model. It’s unfortunate, since the operating costs of the water heater may vary significantly, depending on the model, type, brand, and the installation. In order to avoid such scenario, some research is essential before you decide to buy a water heater. Familiarize yourself with choices that help you make the right decision in when choosing a water heater.

There are several factors that you should consider such as efficiency, capacity and cost. In these years, a huge range of hot water heaters have erupted for consumers who desire the latest in heating technology. You can also purchase a heater that connects to your home’s heating system easily. This means you’ll discover different selections to choose from, such as conventional storage, heat pump, solar, tankless coil, and indirect heaters.

Storage Water Heater

You will find various fuel options for a storage water heater such as electricity, oil, propane and natural gas. Sizes range from 20-80 gallons therefore a storage water heater remains the most preferred one for residential needs in Vancouver.

Demand Water Heater

You can eliminate the standby heat loss completely from the water tank and save energy consumption up to 20-30 percent by using instantaneous or demand water heaters. Typically, demand water heaters provide 2-4 gallons of hot water per minute.

Heat Pump Water Heater

Heat pump heaters make use of electricity for moving the heat rather than generating it directly. For heating water at home, heat pump heaters work similar to refrigerators but in reverse. You can purchase this heater as an integral unit with an included water storage tank or as add-on to retrofit the existing tank.

Tankless Coil and Indirect Heater

Your house space heating unit can use systems like an indirect or tankless coil to heat water. No need for a storage tank in tankless coil heater since water gets heated directly within the boiler of the heater. However, a separate tank is needed in an indirect heater system. Similar to tankless coil, this water heater also circulates in a boiler but the heated water flows to another insulated tank. In fact, if an efficient boiler is used with an indirect heater, the combination gives least expensive method of heating water.

Conclusively, some consumers purchase a water heater depending upon the storage tank size and FHR (first hour rating) on Energy Guide label, which is actually more important. Once you’ve decided on the type of Vancouver water heater, determine which heater falling in that particular category is a fuel efficient one. Another important factor is the cost, which covers purchase price, lifetime maintenance as well as operation expenses. Remember units that usually have longer warranties come with big price tags. Often, a low-priced water heater turns to be an expensive one to manage.

If you are still confused as to which water heater is the right one for you, consult with the experts at Hillcrest Plumbing and Heating. We have over 50 years of experience and can recommend you the right one.