Getting a regular flow of hot water as and when the need arises is necessary in many parts of the world. If you live in a place that is situated in a temperate region of the world, you will need to heat the municipal water as soon as the summer months are over.
Hence it is very important that you maintain your water heating device properly so that you do not face any troubles when winter arrives. So if you spot any problems with your water heater, contact a plumbing service in your locality.
Choosing The Right Heater For Your Needs
There are several factors that you need to consider before you purchase a piece of electrical equipment. So when buying a water heating device, you need to decide if you wish to buy a device that stores heated water perpetually in a tank or one which heats water as and when demanded. The latter type is better from the point of view of energy conservation.
So if energy conservation is your prime object, you will go for the on-demand heating devices.
Again you have to decide on the right capacity or size of the heating device based on your specific needs. There are several factors based on which the capacity of the heating device should be scaled up or down. Some of these factors are listed below.
The Purpose For Which The Water Needs To Be Heated
One of the main factors that determine the capacity of a heating unit is the purpose for which the water is needed. So if you are installing a device exclusively for your kitchen area, then a low-capacity device should suffice.
Typically in a kitchen, small quantities of water are sufficient as you only need to wash your hands or add water to your food.
However, when you need hot water for other purposes like washing clothes, taking a shower, and shaving, then the quantity of water required will be much more than what would be needed in a kitchen.
Typically taking a shower requires twenty gallons of water. So depending on the number of times that you take a shower, you can multiply that number by twenty to get an idea of how much water is used for showering.
Apart from the shower, a washing machine requires a lot of water. The amount that is actually required depends upon many factors like the number of clothes that need to be washed, whether the washing machine is entirely automatic or semi-automatic, whether the washing machine requires front loading or top loading etc.
The Number Of People Who Stay In Your House
It has been stated above that a typical shower requires twenty gallons of water. So depending upon the number of members in your family and whether you have children or not, the volume required would vary.
Again shaving requires about half a gallon of water per minute. So depending upon the amount of time that you need for shaving and the number of adult male members in your family, you can calculate the amount of water that would be required for shaving.
The Region Of The World That You Live In
Typically in an on-demand type of device that does not have a tank, the input temperature and flow rate of water are essential factors. This is because, for on-demand devices, the temperature rises possible per unit of the flow rate matter when determining the appliance’s capacity.
It is easy to determine the flow rate. You can do it by putting a pan or a bucket under a faucet for a minute, and you can determine the flow rate by dividing the volume of fluid per minute. Again to determine the rise of temperature that is required, you need to subtract the temperature of the incoming water and the temperature that is finally required.
The temperature of the incoming water is dependent on the ambient temperature of the place where you live. So if you stay at a place where the water has to stay at sub-zero temperatures, then the temperature rise required in the heating device will be very high.
So the capacity of the heater for an on-demand type of heating appliance depends on the climate of the place that you stay in. Even for a device that has a tank, the ambient temperature is vital as the tank needs to constantly keep the water and protect against loss of heat via radiation.
The Size Of The Collector Area In Case You Have Solar Energy-Based Heating Unit
The collector area for a solar heating device is the area that absorbs the heat from the Sun. Typically twenty square feet of collector area is used for two family members. For each additional family member, eight square feet area is added to the collecting area of a solar energy-based device.
How To Determine The Right Capacity Of Heater For Your Needs
The capacity of a heater that you will need will depend on the type of device that you have installed. However, a common metric that is used by most house owners is the first-hour rating of the device. The first-hour rating gives an idea of the volume of gallons of water that an appliance can heat in a unit of time ( usually an hour). Then calculate your maximum water demand. Then purchase a device that has a first-hour rating that is equal to or more than the maximum amount of water that you may need.
Conclusion
Buying a device that heats the water supply in the house may seem like a trivial decision, but it has important ramifications. After all, the energy requirements of such appliances have a significant impact on the energy bills that you have to pay.
Moreover, if you choose an appliance that has less capacity than what you need, you may eventually have to get a new appliance. So buying a simple electrical appliance like a device that heats water is not trivial and must be bought after due deliberation.
