Why Water Heaters Are a Good Choice for Arizona Homeowners
A water heater is one of the most important appliances in your home. It provides hot running water for showers, dishes, laundry and more.
Cold water enters a tank through a dip tube and gets heated by the heating mechanism inside. Hot water leaves through a heat-out pipe at the top of the tank, taking advantage of the fact that hot water rises above denser cold water.
Conventional Storage Tank
Conventional storage tank water heaters are common in most homes and use a large insulated tank to heat and store hot water. They can be fuelled by natural gas, fuel oil or electricity. A pipe emerges from the top of the water heater to deliver hot water for use in your home. These models are very popular due to their affordability, versatility and ease of installation. They do not require any ongoing maintenance, except for draining and flushing the tank twice a year to prevent minerals from forming on the bottom of the tank.
The problem with conventional tank models is that they waste energy by heating and storing water even when it is not needed. As a result, they tend to have higher annual operational costs than other types of water heaters.
Another downside to these models is that they only have a limited amount of hot water available at any given time. Once the hot water in the tank runs out, cold water begins to flow into electric boiler the tank, diluting the existing temperature and reducing its capacity. This process continues until the tank is empty and a new supply of hot water needs to be heated again. The energy consumed for this purpose can be quite significant. Other options for water heating that are more energy-efficient include heat pump and demand (tankless) water heaters.
Tankless
Known as on-demand water heaters, these units heat water as it flows through your pipes, using a heat exchanger to rapidly bring it up to temperature. They can use electricity, natural gas or propane to do this. Because they only heat water when you turn on a faucet, they eliminate the standby energy losses associated with a storage tank. They’re about a third smaller than traditional tanks and can be installed under sinks, in closets and other areas. However, if you live in an area with hard water, they require periodic flushing to remove mineral buildup. They also create acidic condensate that needs to be neutralized.
Tankless water heaters are more expensive to install than tank models, but they can offer significant energy savings over time. They’re also safer, eliminating the risk of leaking or ruptured tanks. Plus, they feature precision temperature control and built-in monitoring systems that detect problems and shut them off to prevent accidents like scalding.
When choosing a tankless water heater for your Pickerington or Reynoldsburg home, look for one with a built-in recirculation pump. Activated by a push button, timer, motion sensor or your smartphone, the pump automatically pushes cold water in the pipes back through the heater. This saves energy, reduces waiting times and ensures you get hot water within seconds of opening a tap.
Hybrid
The energy efficiency of hybrid storage tank water heaters is one reason why they’re a good choice for Arizona homeowners. Water heaters are a major consumer of electricity, and they’re the most inefficient appliances in most homes (in part because they weren’t regulated for energy efficiency until 2008 [source: Green]. Hybrid hot water heaters operate at a higher level of efficiency than conventional models. The hybrid model combines the technology of both the tankless and traditional storage tank models to create a more efficient option.
A fan draws the air from outside, and refrigerant moves through a compressor and evaporator to absorb the heat. The heated refrigerant is then used to heat your water in the tank. If the demand for hot water exceeds the supply, the backup electric heating element kicks in to generate heat and ensure your home always has enough hot water.
Hybrid electric hot water heaters are ideal for a garage setting where they can be insulated and kept at a constant temperature. They also work well in warm climates, which make them a great solution for Arizona residents. The RUUD model is particularly impressive because of the Leakguard feature that monitors your water heater for leaks and automatically shuts it off. It also has a vacation mode that conserves energy and keeps the water in the tank at a lower temperature.
Recirculation Pumps
If your home has a long hot water pipe run from the water heater to each fixture, a recirculation pump can make it much quicker to get hot water to the faucet. The recirculation pumps continuously push the hot water back through the pipe to prevent it from cooling down, and it only takes a fraction of a second for it to reach the tap.
Unfortunately, these systems use a lot of energy (about 400 to electric tankless heater 800 KWH per year for a modest-sized pump). And the constant running also heats up your house and increases your air conditioning bill.
Some recirculation pumps can be set to operate only at certain times of day, which helps reduce energy consumption and costs. And you can insulate your pipes to keep the water hot longer and avoid unnecessary pump operation.
Recirculation pumps are most cost effective to install when building a new home, but can also be installed as a retrofit in older homes. If your home has a dedicated return line, the system can be a simple and inexpensive solution to getting quick hot water in showers and sinks.
If your home does not have a dedicated return line, however, it would be an expensive project to add one. Another option is to have a plumber install a simple mechanical timer on the pump, which allows you to save electricity when quick hot water is not needed.
