US $204.50
sleeplessfreek asked:
i am having trouble deciding which is better. tankless water heaters are turned on only when i need hot water, but solar heating preheats the water with solar energy. I know there is no heat loss for the tankless and it saves more space.
i am having trouble deciding which is better. tankless water heaters are turned on only when i need hot water, but solar heating preheats the water with solar energy. I know there is no heat loss for the tankless and it saves more space.
March 25th, 2009 at 1:26 am
For solar you need to live in a place that has close to all year sun shine. If you live where there is days without sun light your solar will not help then
March 26th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Solar would have a lot of variants. Such as, how much water do you need at a time? Do you live in an area that gets enough sunshine a day? Do you plan on using the solar to harness energy to run some type of water heater or do you plan on heating the water totally with the suns energy?
Tank-less heaters do save energy, they are costlier than regular water heaters but the savings soon pays for the cost. You only use power to heat the water when you need it instead of heating, storing then reheating water until it is used.
March 29th, 2009 at 8:40 am
I think the most efficient system would involve solar heated water feeding through a tankless system used as backup, in case the sun wasn’t shining that day.
March 30th, 2009 at 11:44 am
They are both efficient. The problem with solar as mentioned is that they are subject to the availability of sunlight. I believe that ambient temperature has an effect on efficiency, that is, in the winter the water won’t be as warm as in the summer.
Tank-less is more reliable. But you have to get one that can heat the volume of water you expect to use.
A solar + tank-less will be okay for long duration water use (like showers, laundry). It takes time for the warmed solar water to get to the point of use. If you’re just washing your hands, you’ll use the tank-less and none of the solar water. I don’t believe any homes are plumbed for two water systems (solar and other).
Using a circulating pump with a solar system may help its efficiency but it costs a few dollars a month to run.
Check this site:
If I had the bucks, I would put tank-less systems at each fixture.
March 31st, 2009 at 3:06 am
It depends alot on what you use to heat the water in the tankless.
If you use gas, it is a very good option. If you use electric, don’t bother. The plumbing supply I use refuses to sell electric tankless heaters because they don’t work very well.
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:13 am
Hi
Tankless water heaters are efficient, however when they are on they use a tremendous amount of energy. Solar hot water on the other hand, uses the energy of the sun to heat the water and uses very very little energy. Most of the solar hot water system tanks are very well insulated, and there would be some heat loss, but if it does not use energy to heat the water, you are not loosing anything. Solar hot water is costlier up front, but over time it is a good return on your investment. Gas tankless systems would be better than electric if you decide to go that way.