Tankless water heaters are amazing, and when you first look at that sleek little unti that attaches to your wall, it take some getting used to before you believe it will efficiently provide the hot water needs of the home. But once you have decided to install one, (or more), there is a neat little way to calculate mathematically, if the tankless heater(s) you are planning to choose will meet the needs of your households hot water demand.
First keep in mind, hot water for domestic use is usually perceived to be hot enough, when it reaches a temperature of 115 degrees. The starting temperature will be the temperature of your tap water. The difference is the rise in water temperature the tankless heater must effect as the water is flowing through it’s system.
Different tankless heaters, produced by different manufacturers will have specifications detailing how much each unit will raise the water temperature as it flows through the unit. This figure will vary depending on the gps, (gallons per second), of the water flow. As the water demand increases, and the gps increase, the units will be forced to raise the temperature of more water per unit of time. and the rise in temperature will consequently drop.
Now let us consider a specific situation. Let us assume your incoming tap water is normally 55 degrees, and you want to raise it to 115 degrees, a difference of 60 degrees. Let’s also assume your show hot water flows at 2gps. You find a tankless heater that will create a 60 degree rise in temperature at 2gps. But now, however, you know that your son takes a shower the same time you do in the morning, for example, and your maid is also running the sink downstairs, while cooking breakfast for the family. So now, you have to add the gps of all these activities together, and find a unit that will raise the temperature 60 degrees at that flow rate.
But, you can also purchase more than one tankless heater for the home, and meet your needs that way. What you might do is purchase one tankless heater for each bathroom, and a third for the whole house. In every case, you determine the likely maximum gps for the area of the home that will be served by a given heater. You then go through the calculations as gibven above, to determine if the unit you wish to purchase will deliver the necessary rise in temperature.
Contact your plumber, and he will help you to determine normal gps requirements for various installations, and he will help you to determine the best unit or units for your home. Thanks to A-1 Plumbing for Baltimore, a Baltimore plumbing for sponsoring this report.
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