Storage or continuous water heaters: choose the optimum

Water heaters in our daily life are indispensable devices for obtaining hot water in everyday life. The most popular and popular on the market of home appliances are electric and gas types of apparatus. They differ in their functional qualities and require different conditions for installation and operation. All water heaters are divided into storage or flow.

The storage water heater has a storage tank (a working tank), a heating element and a powerful thermal insulation, so the water remains hot for many hours, as in a thermos. Qualitative storage devices ensure a decrease in the water temperature of no more than 0.25-0.5 degrees per hour.

Flowing water heaters work in a different way. The water heats up in a short section of the atmosphere, through which it flows through the heating element (tan or heat exchanger). This time is only from 30 seconds to several minutes.

Gas storage water heaters heat water with a gas burner (electric with a tenon). They are much more expensive than electrical ones, they are more complicated in installation (they require conditions for gas combustion products removal), but they are much more economical, they are more efficient and can heat a lot of water. According to the way of combustion products, capacitive (or storage) gas water heaters are divided into two types: with an open combustion chamber (natural draft - require a chimney, with a closed combustion chamber (forced draft - withdrawal of products using a coaxial pipe).

The electric storage water heater consists of two tanks (a working tank and a casing), inserted into each other and separated by thermal insulation with built-in electric heating elements, and heaters. The work is done in automatic mode, the cold water is heated to the set temperature, the automatic cuts off the tan and switches it on again when the water is cooled below the set temperature.

Electric storage water heaters are divided:

• According to the type of TENA heating element used, the storage devices are divided into two large groups: with a submerged (or "wet") tenon and instruments with a contactless (or "dry", not water- contacting ) fan. The advantage of the "dry" tan is that it does not so quickly build up with scum, or rather, the process of scale formation occurs much more slowly, and accordingly, the manufacturer's guarantee for a working tank is longer.
• By type of placement, water heaters can be installed vertically and horizontally mounted.
• In form, cylindrical, rectangular, superthinic, flat are distinguished.

Most electric water heaters available in the market are classified as pressure vessels and are designed to provide hot water for more than two points of water consumption in the apartment.

Non-pressure water heaters function only with special valves. Because of their low power, they are not able to provide heating of a large volume of water and, as a rule, are used only for showering.

In gas flow-through water heaters, or gas columns, the water heating tank is made in the form of a narrow tube, thereby rapidly heating the water.

Electric flow-through water heaters are compact in size, but unlike storage, they require a large input electric power. In electric flow-through devices, rapid heating of water is achieved by the presence of a high power tee (on average 5 kW) and a small volume of the working tank. Water heaters of this series are mainly used in places of frequent water on / off - this is usually a kitchen, and models come with water supply from above as well as from below (installation under and above the sink).

The main distinguishing feature of storage water heaters from flow-through is the economy and a number of additional important functions - a programmer of time and temperature, antibacterial treatment of water, etc. Flowing devices are suitable for small water consumption, for example, washing dishes. In order to take a shower it is advisable to install water storage heaters of a volume of 50 liters.

However, capacitive storage water heaters, or boilers, depending on the volume require a certain place, as well as annual maintenance - cleaning the ten and replacing the magnesium anode. If the demand for hot water is large, then it is more expedient to purchase a large capacitive large-capacity appliance (they are called boilers) with a water reserve of 100 to 300 liters.