Posts Tagged ‘Heaters’

Gas Tankless Water Heaters – Comparing Brands Bosch, Noritz, Rinnai, & Takagi

It’s not easy to choose a new tankless water heater.   I’m going to compare four different brands of gas units, examining the specs and features of Bosch, Reehm, Rinnai, and Takagi units. I’ve made the table below to show what I think are the most important specifications for the tankless water heaters.   These include the maximum Input BTUs, Minimum Flow Rate to turn on the heater, the energy factor, and the temperature rise at a given flow rate. Maximum Input BTUs The maximum input BTUs basically tells you the size of the heater, giving you a way to quickly compare different models.   Most all tankless heaters are around 80% efficient, so any two heaters that have similar input BTU’s will have similar output capabilities.   A water heater with a higher efficiency will deliver a slightly higher flow for a given temperature rise and flow rate. Calculating BTUs A BTU (British thermal unit) is the amount of heat required to heat 1 pound of water 1 degree.   Water weighs about 8. 3 pounds per gallon.   Heating 1 gallon of water 100 degrees would require ((8. 3 pounds x 1 gallon x 100 degrees) / 80% efficiency) = 1,037 BTUs. Heating the water takes time of course, so if we wanted to heat that gallon in one minute the Btu consumption would be (1037 BTU x 60 minutes/hour)= 62,220 BTUs per hour. To heat 2 gallons per minute 100 degrees will require roughly 124,000 BTUs per hour.   3 gallons per minute would be 189,000 BTUs. Minimum Flow Rate The minimum flow rate is important because that is how much flow you need through the heater to turn it on. The problems appear when you want a low-flow of hot water.   If it takes 3/4 gallons per minute of flow to turn on the heater, and the output temperature of the heater is set for 120°, you have to mix colder water with the hot water to get the temperature you want.   Since you have to keep the flow rate high enough to keep the heater turned on, and you have to mix it with cold, you simply cannot get a small flow of hot water.   To make matters worse, if you are trying to take a shower, and you turn down the temperature enough for the heater to kick off, you won’t know it until that slug of cold water hits you a minute or so after you’ve adjusted the valve, depending on how long it takes the water to travel through the pipes to the fixture. Energy Factor The energy factor (EF) tells what a water heater’s overall energy efficiency is. It’s based on the amount of hot water produced per unit of fuel consumed over a typical day. Factors included in the energy factor are:Recovery efficiency – how efficiently the heat from the energy source is transferred to the water Standby losses – the percentage of heat loss per hour from the stored water compared to the heat content of the water (water heaters with storage tanks) Cycling losses – the loss of heat as the water circulates through a water heater tank, and/or inlet and outlet pipes. The higher the energy factor, the more efficient the water heater is. However, higher energy factor values don’t always mean lower annual operating costs, especially when you compare fuel sources. Temperature Rise & Flow Rate The output flow rate is one of the most important factors since it tells you exactly how much hot water the unit can produce. Bosch and Noritz give you the temperature rise at 77° and 75° which are close enough for our comparison on their websites.   Takagi provides graphs which are nice, so I used 75° for Takagi. Rinnai only provides the flow rate at 35°, so to compare Rinnai flow rates you can figure a little less than half of the given values. Tankless Water Heater Costs Where I could find them I listed the lowest prices I could find online.   They may therefore be incorrect.   Keep in mind that installing the heater can be very expensive.   You may need special larger stainless steel venting, and you may have to run a larger gas line as well.   If the location does not have a power outlet you might need to run an electrical circuit since most gas tankless water heaters need power for their controls. Gas Tankless Water Heater Comparison Table Brand/Model          Max             Min.         EF            GPM@             Price                              BTU             GPM                       Temp Rise Bosch                            Bosch 2700ES      199,000       0. 65       0. 82         4. 2   77° F      $1,100Bosch 2400ES      175,000       0. 65       0. 82         3. 8   77° F      $1,050Bosch 1600H        117,000        0. 6        0. 69         2. 4   77° F      $649 Noritz Noritz N-0931M     250,000       0. 5       N/A          5. 6   75° F        $2,399Noritz 841             199,900        0. 5       0. 91         5. 0   75° F       $2,399Noritz N-0751M     199,900       0. 5       0. 83         4. 5   75° F        $1,299Noritz N-0631S     185,000        0. 5       0. 83         3. 8   75° F       $1,029Noritz 531             140,000       0. 5       0. 82         3. 1   75° F        $829 Rinnai Rinnai  R98LSi       237,000       0. 9        N/A*         9. 8  35° FRinnai  R50LSi       150,000       0. 6        0. 82          5. 0  35° F       $679Rinnai  R75LSi       180,000       0. 6        0. 82          7. 5  35° F       $975Rinnai  R94LSi       190,000       0. 6        0. 82          9. 4  35° F  TakagiTakagi T-K Jr.         140,000       0. 5        0. 81          2. 5  75° F       $599Takagi T-K3           199,000      0. 5        0. 84          3. 6  75° F        $800Takagi T-H1           199,000      0. 5        0. 92          4. 8  75° F

Do Bosch Tank-less Heaters Offer Better Value Than Conventional Tank Heaters?

Slow and constant heating of water throughout the day is what we expect the conventional water heater to do. A reservoir stores water heated and makes it available whenever it is required on your part. Approximately 50 gallons of hot water are provided by a water heater with a capacity of 50 gallons. Conversely, the energy radiated in a given day, regardless of how insulation of the tank.
  Robert Bosch, Inc., the leading manufacturer of tank containers under hot water argue that electricity or batteries are required by their 125HX hydro-generated ignition system. They have a model natural gas water heaters based on hydro-generated ignition system for igniting pilot. This is the Bosch Aquastar 125HX
  Following a hot water tap open, the hydraulic generator 125HX has cold water flowing through it. Electricity is produced when the force of flowing water spins a tiny turbine inside. Therefore, the burners are lit. Water that enters the heat exchanger copper is heated, both LP and natural gas options are available for the 125HX model.
  No other energy source is necessary if you have a 125HX tank-less water heater. The opening of the hot water tap causes energy to be used: thus, the requirements are only water and gas. The manufacturers claim efficiency rating of 82% for these models. Neither the need to change the batteries or the battery life should worry longer. There is no need for a connection to electricity, which simplifies installation greatly.
  Hot water will never be depleted, unlike the case of hot water tank. Being small and light, Bosch-tank less heaters can be mounted on a wall. They are efficient appliances and incur lower operating costs compared to conventional water heaters. They have a life expectancy of more than 20 years.
  Incidentally, the total cost of ownership is low despite higher investments due to lower operating costs. And you get a superior product. The series 125 water heaters hot one important outlet both for an endless supply of hot water, opt for high-volume models.
  Besides the competitive price, you can use the federal tax deduction for energy efficiency. Gas heaters with an energy rating of 0. 80 under the jurisdiction of the new $ 300 tax credit for the energy bill. Most Bosch Gas Tankless Water Heaters meet the requirements of this bill.
  Apart from 24×7 telephone support and access to redress through a wide network of dealers, Bosch water heaters come with a 12 year warranty when installed professionally.