Features

This Takagi TK3 tankless has a number of features that allow it to stand out from the pack.

Compact Size: Only 13.8 inches wide, the T-K3 tankless has the ability to be recessed between wall studs for even more space savings.

Low Activation Flow Rate: The Takagi TK3 activates at only 0.5 GPM, which allows the use of smaller water flows in bathroom sinks and showers. This is a pretty standard flow rate now for new generation tankless water heaters.

Parallel Installation: Easy Link technology allows the T-K3 to be installed with up to three other units without the use of an additional control box.

Direct-Vent Conversion: The TK3 can easily use a direct vent conversion to import combustion air from outside.

Eight Temperature Settings: Some tankless manufactures have only 4 preset temperature settings, the T-K3 offers eight separate temperatures. However, if you want a specific temperature than it is required that you buy the TM-RE10 temperature controller.

Longer vent runs: The T-K3 can have a vent pipe run up to 50 feet with five elbows, instead of the normal 35 with three elbows. This can be a great addition if your particular installation has a long vent run.

Synopsis

The TK3 tankless incorporates a number of important features into one new tankless system, and should fit the needs of most high-volume residential applications. As always performance depends on the temperature of the ground water, and with winter water temperatures here in Ontario, Toronto and the Toronto region dipping to the low 40 degrees F range you can expect the T-K3 tankless to produce a flow rate around 4.1 GPM, or 246 GPH.

Specifications

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Bosch vs Rinnai Tankless

When it comes to home improvement there are so many options available. Most homeowners make a mental to do list of the projects that are weekend projects and ones best left to the pros. To do lists are usually placed in order of cost and capability to complete the task. A tankless water heater is a project that is well worth putting at the top of your to do list. We can have REP come out and go over where a unit can be installed and what an install entails. Then you can spend the rest of your Saturday planning on how to use the extra space your old hot water tank took up.

With conventional tank type water heaters there is a strangely long list of things that are not exactly great selling points. Things like, pilot lights that miraculously go out at the most inconvenient times, limited storage capabilities, short life spans, and a loss of energy efficiency due to sludge build up at the bottom of the tank.

The tankless water heater solves a lot of the standard water heater problems. Current water heaters use energy by constantly working to maintain heated water temperatures of 40 to 50 gallons that is not even being used. A tankless system costs 60 percent less to operate than the standard tank because it only heats the water when it is requested by the home owner. Another selling point is the life expectancy of these units, double sometimes even triple to that of the traditional unit.

If you are trying to ‘Go Green’ most tankless water heaters are Energy Star approved. This means that you are not only reducing your carbon footprint by 63 percent compared to the standard unit, you will also be saving energy, and that means real money back in your pocket.

In addition to the money that you are going to be saving on reduced energy bills, the Provincial Government offers tax incentives of up to 30 percent for energy efficiency improvements.

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Buying a Tankless in Ontario

So you’re thinking of getting a tankless water heater and you live in Ontario, that’s good these systems are excellent for the environment and your bottom line. Most…. Actually all of these systems are designed outside our country and thus outside our climate. You should take some extra precautions before purchasing a system.

If you take a look at the map you can extrapolate a rough estimate of ground water temperatures for Ontario. Sorry there doesn’t seem to be an accurate map of Ontario’s ground water values anywhere. I would use 35-37 Fahrenheit as a good starting point; your incoming water will never be much colder than that. The tankless water heater you choose will need to warm the water up from your starting temperature to your desired level. If the incoming water is 35 and you want hot water to be 110 your tankless needs to heat the water 75 degrees. This is quite a relatively significant increase and to produce this level of rise requires the water to pass through the heat exchangers at a slower rate.

In the summer Ontario ground water is often between 50 and 65 Fahrenheit, to reach your desired 110 degree level the water only needs to be heated 45 degrees. Sensors in the tankless measure incoming and outgoing temperature levels and adjust flow rates accordingly. Thus a system rated to provide 5 GPM (gallons per minute) with only a 40 degree temperature rise will likely only produce maybe 2 GPM in the winter when water temperatures are really low.

When you’re purchasing a new tankless for your home make sure you pay close attention to the tankless heaters specifications. Make sure that it is able to provide an adequate flow rate when your incoming water temperatures are at the lowest in the winter.

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