Re: Run your house on a thermoblock?

Jack Denver wrote:
Another reason why tankless heaters use more energy is that your can really take an "endless shower". In a tank type heater, at some point you run out of hot water and are forced out of the shower.

We well know the problems of lime scale from espresso boilers - scale affects tankless heaters much more than tank types because the passages are relatively small inside the HX. Also tank type heaters have gotten better in recent years - the insulation is thicker and standby losses are smaller.

The modern tankless types have enormous burners - up to a couple of hundred k BTU - more than the furnace that heats your house. So when that tankless kicks on, the gas meter spins like crazy. The idea that they are energy savers has been oversold IMHO. The boring old HW heater is actually a very clever appliance that functions well for many years without any attention or maintenance (which is more than you can say for espresso machines).






"hudson" <Mhh21c_removethis_@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:3rmnq5Fjqdn1U1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"DougW" <post.replies@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:cVh5f.3254$xE1.1825@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

hudson did pass the time by typing:

"Alan Moorman" wrote in message 

They also use more electricity or gas than a comparable tank-type hot
water
heater -- at least in a 'normal' family-use situation.

Not the time to be using more fuel, now, is it?


Can you tell me where you get your figures for that fact or assertion, or
provide some calculations? I would be very interested to find out as this
runs contrary to everything I have always been told.

It depends on your usage figures. But this site is good for general understanding.
http://www.pmengineer.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/features/BNP__Features__Item/0,2732,141364,00.html


--
DougW

That was very interesting. Thank you for that. As far as I understand the article, a tankless with electronic ignition will save energy for an average family usage, but not as much as I expected or had been led to believe. For small households with low usage, models with electronic ignition come into their own.

Best Regards,

Stuart Hudson




Actually, you should be periodically drain and flush tanked systems, otherwise you are heating settlement in the bottom of the tank. The recommended period is twice a year or montly if you have a lot of settlement.

Always turn off the electric or gas, drain and flush through the spigot on the side of the unit, completely refill the tank and apply electric/gas again.

--

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