First, I want to preface this article by bringing attention to the fact we are located in the Greater Toronto Area. We are very well acquainted with a tankless behaviour in our water type, incoming temperature, and installation codes. Some of our traffic comes from other Provinces within Canada and the systems we select here may not be the best choice for other locations. Although… The information we present will still likely prove to be useful.
Today were going to look at some of the most popular tankless water heaters sold and installed here in Ontario. There are two main categories; condensing tankless and non-condensing tankless.
Condensing Tankless
A condensing system utilizes two heat exchangers. The larger primarily exchanger is the main component used to heat your water up. The smaller heat exchanger utilizes the otherwise waste heat within the exhaust to preheat the incoming water, further increasing efficiency. A condensing tankless is roughly between 95% and 98% efficient.
Non-Condensing Tankless
These systems are a little less complicated in that they only have one heat exchanger. It sole task is to heat your water up to the desired temperature fast. A non-condensing thankless averages around 82% -84% efficient with just the single heat exchanger.
To put this in perspective, your conventional 40 or 50 gallon tank type water heater is lucky to start out with a 50% efficiency rating.
Top Condensing Tankless Water Heaters
Rheem made the #1 spot with the built in condensate buffer tank and the industry’s lowest flow start up rate of .26 gallons/minute.
Rinnai is in second with the best tankless reliability in the industry.
Navien is in third with the oldest and most installed condensing tankless water heater on the market; they have had some troubles in the past but those have all been rectified.
Top Tankless (Non-Condensing)
Top spot has to go to Rinnai with the ultra reliable R75i. That system has been installed in thousands of homes throughout Toronto or the GTA and rarely does it ever receive a service call.
Second is a bit out of place but Navien only makes condensing tankless systems and this one is priced competitively, uses the same heat output, but makes about 1 GPM more than the competing systems.
Third is the Rheem Tankless that comes in third with their innovative electronics and the lowest start up flow rate in the industry.
Conclusion
There are a few other brands of tankless systems out there and they are competitive in this we are discussion. Unfortunately they just don’t attain the same build quality and thus reliability you need to expect from a system designed to last 20 or more years. If you’re looking to get a tankless water heater for your home make sure to get a quote from the three manufactures we suggested. Make sure the system fits your needs and have a professional install it.
Looking for pric these very systems? Are you located in the Golden Horseshoe or GTA? Let us help you get started with a few quotes. Give us a call or fill out our form to have someone call you back to discuss pricing.
Call: (647) 925-1930
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