Tankless Hot Water Heaters, Efficient, Effective, Endless.
Posts tagged water heaters
Mike Holmes on Tankless Water Heaters
Aug 16th
Still doubting the validity of a tankless water heaters for your home? Famed home renovation TV star Mike Holmes goes on record saying that the systems just plainly “make Sense”.
Below is a excerpt from the article.
“Environmentally responsible building is opening our eyes to some great, new technologies. But it’s also getting us to take another look at really smart old ideas — such as tankless water heaters.
These have been used in Europe and Asia since the Second World War, but are only now coming into common use in North America. I’m a huge fan of these in-line hot water heaters. They are super efficient, space-saving products that — when installed properly — will last almost forever, cut your energy bill and supply unlimited hot water to your home. You can literally open up your tap, walk away, and still have hot water coming out a month later.
Yes, they cost more initially, and you have to have them installed and calibrated to your household’s use by an expert, but there is no doubt in my mind that you will get your money’s worth.
Tankless water heaters are small — usually not much bigger than an electrical panel. When you turn on a hot water tap, a burner in the unit lights up and instantly heats water in a maze of copper pipe. With the tap open, the water flows through the heated pipes, and within seconds, you have continuous hot water. When you turn off the tap, the burner goes off. The result is you don’t have to heat and store 40 gallons of water in your basement any more. You only heat the water you use, and you have hot water for as
long as you need it.”
You can read the full article here with a lot more tips on how a tankless water heater may be right for your home…. Mike Holmes on Tankless Water Heaters in the Globe and Mail Article
Pipe Sweating
Jul 27th
Pipe sweating is a question that’s been asked numerous times and its an important one to deal with (albeit very tricky).
In all modern homes the basement floor and walls are all wrapped in a thick plastic barrier to prevent moisture from seeping into the home. Unfortunately we all don’t live in new homes and we have work with whats available. Moisture seeps into the basement through walls and floors causing a high humidity environment, any source of cold cause this water to condense. All tankless and tank type water heaters have a cold water line leading to the appliance. This supply line almost always “sweats” and can cause corrosion at a the tankless water heaters connection site.
Your best solution for Pipe sweating?
Wrap your pipes in a rubber or foam pipe insulation this will contain the cold temperatures and prevent sweating along that temperature gradient.
The next best solution is to deal with the issue at its source, this means waterproofing your basement floor and walls, fixing any water leaks that cause additional humidity levels. As a last resort you can look at running a dehumidifier in the basement to bring the moisture levels down even further.
Good Luck and protect your tankless with pipe insulation
Rinnai RC98HPi
Jul 15th
Features
- Qualifies For Government Grants
- ENERGY STAR qualified
- Up to 96% thermal efficiency
- Condensing technology for greater efficiency and significant hot water energy savings
- Capacity to supply continuous hot water simultaneously to multiple plumbing demands
- Significant space savings over tank-style water heaters
- More sanitary hot water
- Long-lasting design and reduced risk of flooding
- Available in Natural Gas or Propane
- Flexible indoor installation options
- Meets Strict NOx Emission Rules
- 12-year heat exchanger limited warranty for residential installations (5 years on parts, 1 year on labor)
- Pair up with an air handler for efficient home heating
Specifications
- Dimensions: 19” W x 26” H x 10” D
- Weight: 71 lbs.
- Installation: Interior/Residential or Commercial
- Approved Gas Types: Natural Gas or Propane
- Minimum/Maximum Gas Rate (Input BTUs): 10,000 – 199,000
- Hot Water Capacity: 0.4 to 9.8 GPM (35° rise)
- Energy Factor: 0.94 (NG and LP)
- Electrical: AC 120 Volts – 60 Hz
- Connections:
- Gas Supply: ¾ inch MNPT
- Cold Water Inlet: ¾ inch MNPT
- Hot Water Outlet: ¾ inch MNPT
- Temperature Range (Min-Max)
- Residential: 98°-140° F
- Commercial: 98°-185° F (requires MCC-91-1 controller)
- Standard Digital Controller: MC-91-1US (included)
Documents
- Brochure : Rinnai Condensing Tankless Water Heater RC98HPi
- Owners Manuel: Rinnai RC98HPi
- Specifications sheet: RC98HPi Tankless Condensing
Rebates
Jul 13th
Rebates Are Still Available!
Most people think that the Eco Energy rebate program has ended but it is still ongoing and it will likely be re-instated upon its scheduled closing. 
If your interested in getting a tankless water heater for your home then you can still be eligible for rebate and grants from the Canadian Government to offset the higher cost of the tankless. You will need to participate in the Government Eco Energy Audit Program to become eligible for the grants.
The Energy Audit tells you information about your home and is a lot of value to most home owners, you will also gain access to grant money for home insulation, toilets, furnaces, air conditioners, etc.
How much rebate for a Tankless?
This is a common question and it changes with the tankless water heater you buy. You can expect $315 for any tankless that has an efficiency rating below 92%. If you go with a condensing tankless which will bring your efficiency rating up in between 94% to 98% you will receive $375.
Tankless water heaters are notoriously difficult to install and thus a representative needs to come out and assess your home. They can answer any further questions you have and help decide where you would like the unit installed (remember it mounts on the wall).
Tankless Brands
Jul 11th
There are a number of different brands of tankless water heaters below you will find a short synopsis of each of each tankless system.
Rinnai Tankless
Easily one of the biggest suppliers of tankless units, they are known for stability and reliability. Of all the experience we have had with tankless water heaters Rinnai’s Tankless is by far the most reliable unit on the market today.
Navien Tankless
This one is often spelled incorrectly as “Navian”. It has been know as the the most efficient tankless with their units reaching 98% efficiency. They have had reliability issues in the past but they are on to the 4th generation now and most of the issues have been cleared up.
Noritz Tankless
Not the most popular brand of tankless but it is a nice unit none the less. Reliability is lacking a bit but it makes it up in its efficiency.
Bosch Tankless
Commonly sold in Home Depots, these tankless systems are good units but they are so frequently incorrectly sized and installed that they have developed a bad reputation due to this.
Takagi Tankless
If for some reason I couldn’t get a Rinnai tankless I would choose the Takagi tankless model for sure, high efficiency, reliability, and easy venting. What more could you ask for?
John Wood Tankless
This brand can be difficult to find in Toronto or Ontario for that matter, its mainly sold in the US and is made by GSW.
Toronto Heats Up
Jul 11th
Well it looks as thought the summer we misses last year has come back in 2010 with a vengeance! Don’t get me wrong, no one is complaining but its certainly one of those summers your thankful you have air conditioning. Now if your one of those family’s that just refuses to install central air its time to rethink that. 
Firstly, there’s so many appliances in a home that run now (computers, stereos, big screen TV’s) and these units produce a lot of heat. Think about when you leave the computer running in a room with door closed how quickly its transformed into a sauna. All these new electronics can really raise the temperature of any home and if its 36 degrees outside it doesn’t take long to send your homes interior temperature sky rocketing.
Secondly, (more on the lines of tankless water heaters) a tankless water heater will only turn on when there is hot water needed, so all day when the home is empty that old conventional tank is just producing heat, and heating up your house. Its even worse if you have air conditioning and its working to cool your home all the while the water heater is heating up the house…. Might be time to switch to a Tankless
Service Areas
Jul 10th
Greater Toronto is quite large and the majority of inquiries that we get come from this area. Albeit there is a significant amount of interest outside major cities; people interested in units for cottages, mobile homes, and within small towns where its much more energy efficient to heat water on demand. The current tankless water heater 
service locations ranges from as far east as Oshawa to as far west as Hamilton and to many of the surrounding localities.
The Golden Horseshoe consist of an area of roughly 10,100 square kilometers which contains more than 6.5 million people who all call it call home. Think how many conventional water heaters are installed and running constantly, 24 hours a day. Now think how much energy could be saved in everyone was only heating their hot water when then needed it.
If your Thinking of getting a tankless water heater for your home or business you have come to the right place, we offer free quotes and installations by the best companies in Ontario. It doesn’t matter where you are located we ensure that you get multiple quotes from the best installers in your area. How do we do it?
We use Home Stars Ontario which has a customer ranking system on ALL contractors. When you request a quote from us its instantly parsed through our database, your location is determined and our servers consult the HomeStars database searching for the top 3 tankless water heater installers in your area. Once this is located, your contact information is sent to those top companies who will contact you to set up a time to come out and give you a free quote. You will receive an email outlining the 3 top companies and their HomeStar scores. Having more than 1 quote will ensure you get the best price and the best work.
Get Your Quotes Now!
Microwave Tankless Water Heaters….
May 11th
Microwave Tankless
|
Giant microwaves to heat water instantly? Is this real? And can it actually work?
A microwave (like in a microwave oven) is generated by a magnetron at a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz, this is the 
exact frequency that targets water molecules and gets them vibrating faster and faster, thus heating up.
The principal behind a microwave tankless water heater is basically the same as your microwave oven at home just on a larger scale. Cold water will simply pass through the unit where it will be bombarded by microwaves actively exciting the molecules to the required temperature. The warm or hot water will then pass through the pluming system to the source of demand.
Effectively this is making hot water produced by electricity actually a reality. There are electric tankless water heaters, sure, but they require massive amounts of power and don’t reliably produce enough water to supply a modern home. Wanderport, a manufacturer of these systems is claiming upwards of 6-7 gallons per minute which is directly on par with conventional tankless systems.
What’s potentially so great about these systems?
First off there is no venting needed, no holes in the walls, no venting proximity restrictions; these are huge barriers that gas or propane tankless systems face. On that same note, the conventional tankless systems sometimes require home owners to upgrade supply lines as units can consume upwards of 199,000 Btu’s.
Secondly a microwave unit has an efficiency of 99% and emits no pollution. The unit also doesn’t degrade over time as a conventional tankless does with calcium deposits and buildups in the various heat exchangers that they need.
So what’s the chances of you getting a microwave water heater in your home in the near future?
According to Wanderport, quite realistic. In fact they have a product on the verge of being released. Its already won an advanced technology award from the
Toronto Construction Association.
Check out the future of water heating here.
Instant or Tankless Water Heaters?
Apr 29th
Things to Know.
|
Most of us have grown up with a standard tank type water heater. As such we are used to the way our hot water system works. Switching to a tankless water heater will have an affect on the way your hot water system works.
With a tank type heater, when you turn on a hot water faucet, the hot water, typically 140 degrees, immediately begins flowing through the pipe to get to your faucet. As the water travels through the cold pi pe, it cools off until the piping material warms up. That is why your hot water doesn’t instantly go from cold to hot; it has to warm up the pipes first.
Some homes have hot water circulating systems that circulate the hot water through the pipes to obtain instant hot water at every sink. Circulating systems can save a lot of water. They are wasteful of energy though, since the water heater will fire up more often to replace the heat being lost through the piping which acts like a big radiator even if the pipes are well insulated.
There are also pumping systems that pump the hot water to the fixture from the heater only when you want to use hot water and you don’t run any water down the drain. You still save the water and time, but you don’t waste water.
Tankless Systems
Tankless water heaters are being promoted as providing endless hot water and as being energy saving over traditional water heaters. While both of these facts are true, there are other things to consider.
If you are considering replacing your tank type water heater with a tankless unit, and you have a typical house, make sure you get one large enough to do the job. Since you are heating water as you use it, you must heat it much more quickly than a tank type heater so you need to add heat much more quickly.
For a gas type heater this means you will be using a lot more gas volume/ minute than with a tank type heater. Your exhaust flue may need to be larger and the gas line might need to be upgraded. For electric units you might have to have special wiring put in to handle the high amperage loads created by an electric tankless water heater.
Tankless water heaters are typically much smaller than conventional tanks and are hung on the wall, resulting in a significant space savings.
Tankless water heaters can save you a modest amount of energy, typically around $20.00 – $40.00 a month. They are also eligible for home energy Grants and Rebates provided by the Government to aid in a speedy transition from the old energy consuming conventional tank to this new efficient technology.
