Gas instantaneous water heater - overview of types of devices

Every year, installing an individual source of hot water supply in private houses and apartments is becoming more and more important. The era of centralized hot water supply is gradually becoming a thing of the past, because sometimes it may be more profitable to have your own water heater. This allows you to control utility costs and save money at your own discretion. The only question is: what equipment to choose for heating water? The purpose of the article is to give a detailed answer to this question, to determine which is better - a gas water heater or a boiler, revealing all the pros and cons of various water heating units.

Types of household appliances for DHW needs

At the moment, there are 2 types of water heaters that differ in operating principles: instantaneous and storage. Both use two energy sources: natural gas and electricity. Let's collect them all in one list:

• geysers for water;
• electric storage water heaters (boilers);
• gas storage heaters;
• electrical flow installations.

The first 2 types of water heating devices are the most popular; they constantly compete with each other, despite the difference in the energy carriers used. Geysers are devices that directly heat running water in a heat exchanger with a burner flame. Hot water is supplied almost instantly, you just need to open the tap.

Electric boilers work differently: a tank filled with cold water is gradually heated by built-in heating elements. It makes sense to turn on hot water when the container has heated up to at least a temperature of 40 ºС, which will take 2-3 hours. If the temperature has reached the set temperature, but there is no water supply, the device maintains it at a certain level, turning the heating elements on and off.

Less commonly, storage gas heaters are used to supply hot water. This product appeared on our market relatively recently and has not yet gained much popularity. A household gas boiler is a kind of hybrid between a gas water heater and an electric boiler. From the latter he took the principle of operation, and from the column - a method of heating water and natural gas as a source of thermal energy.

And finally, instantaneous electric heaters operating on the principle of a gas water heater, only using electricity instead of natural gas. For this reason they got their name - electric speakers.

Despite the fact that they appeared on the market a long time ago, to this day they are truly exotic, as they are very rarely found in private homes. The reason lies in the device’s electrical power being too high; not every home has such power. Therefore, we can consider these heaters only for informational purposes. Now, to make a comparison, we will analyze each type of equipment separately.

The best gas water heater with a closed combustion chamber

Dispensers with a closed combustion chamber are considered safer. Among their advantages are:

• no requirements for the size of the room during installation (can be installed even in small kitchens);
• high security;
• external oxygen consumption.

An example of a good geyser with a closed chamber is Zanussi GWH 10 Fonte. This device has a lot of advantages.

When working with it, a person receives hot water in the required quantity in the shortest possible time. The heater uses a minimum of gas for heating.

The product has a display that displays information about the water temperature. The electric ignition runs on batteries, so the column is completely independent of the power supply.

Before choosing a gas water heater with a closed chamber, you need to make sure that you can provide the conditions for its proper operation. More detailed requirements can be found in SNiPs and other regulations.

Gas water heaters: pros and cons

The biggest and main advantage of units of this type is the ability to provide the house with hot water for an unlimited time. The burner of the device begins to heat the water almost immediately after opening the tap and will do this until the valve closes. This feature of geysers makes them the undoubted leader among all units in terms of comfort.

The only condition: the thermal power of the burner must be enough for all consumers. Modern turbocharged units are equipped with electronic combustion intensity control systems, as a result of which changes in water pressure have virtually no effect on its final temperature. But if the thermal power of the gas water heater is initially selected incorrectly, then at high flow rates barely warm water will flow from all the mixers.

An important advantage of gas instantaneous heaters is their small dimensions, allowing the device to be squeezed into the smallest kitchen. This is why speakers are so popular among residents of small apartments. In addition, the product is quite reliable (if you do not take into account Chinese products) and repairable. Due to the fact that water supply networks in the post-Soviet space leave much to be desired, the gas water heater periodically requires maintenance and cleaning.

Now about the disadvantages:

• Installation of gas-using equipment is a troublesome task and requires investment. You need to complete the project, get it approved, and then install and connect the heater, which only a licensed organization has the right to do;
• any gas water heater requires a chimney and supply and exhaust ventilation for its operation;
• for stable operation of the device you need a certain pressure of water and gas;
• In terms of efficiency, the column is inferior to a boiler; its efficiency is a maximum of 92% versus 98-99% for electrical appliances.

Another delicate moment. In many cities, the inlet water temperature is very low in winter. A gas flow-through installation, even the most powerful, is not able to heat such water to normal temperature at normal flow rates. That is, when operating at maximum, the column will not produce the promised 10 l/min of hot water, but only 5.

The best geyser from a Russian manufacturer

Which speaker should I choose for my apartment?

The Russian geyser market provides a wide choice to people. The advantages of domestic products are:

• low cost;
• creation taking into account Russian realities;
• a large assortment.

The main advantage is that the dispenser is created specifically to work with the Russian gas network. Many European brands are demanding in terms of gas pressure in the network.

Ladogaz VPG 10 E is considered a popular Russian-made water heater. Among the advantages of this gas water heater are fully automatic operation and high safety.

The device also allows heating in the shortest possible time thanks to copper heat exchangers. A minor drawback is the lack of a display.

Russian-made water heaters have many advantages. The choice of a geyser for use in an apartment should be made based on budget and needs.

The purchase is made at a gas company or a specialized store that provides quality certificates.

Advantages and disadvantages of an electric boiler

The storage electric water heater has many advantages, which determines its high popularity:

• simple installation that does not require approvals or the involvement of specialized organizations;
• no chimney or ventilation required;
• independence from pressure in the water supply network and its temperature;
• high efficiency (efficiency up to 99%);
• the ability to simultaneously provide a large flow of hot water;
• The heating elements of a modern boiler do not come into direct contact with water and are not covered with scale.

The two main disadvantages of the unit are the limited volume of water dispensed and the need to wait for the next portion to heat up for several hours (from 1.5 to 5). An incorrectly selected tank capacity will lead to the same consequences as an incorrectly selected power column - cold water will run out of the tap.

The volume of space occupied by the boiler is quite significant compared to a gas flow-through apparatus. And, although there are tanks with a flat configuration, for an ordinary family of 3-4 people you will need a capacity of at least 80 liters, which is a significant disadvantage in an apartment. Because of this, the boiler in small bathrooms is suspended above the bathtub, often hitting the head against it.

Winner selection

Before resolving the dispute - boiler or water heater, let's say a few words about storage gas heaters. They are promising because heating of the entire volume of water in the tank occurs twice as fast as that of its electric “brother.” It is also independent of water pressure and is able to immediately provide high flow rates for domestic hot water. The disadvantages are inherited from the column: the need for permits, the complexity of installation and the need for a chimney and ventilation.

The question - which is better to choose - is not worth it at all when there is no gas supply in the house or an insufficient electricity limit; we consider the situation from other points of view. So, in the “ease of use” category, the gas water heater definitely wins; it allows you to get what you want almost immediately. On the other hand, installation of gas-using equipment will cost a pretty penny. Because installing a boiler will cost less and will be completed much earlier, it wins in the “cost and speed of installation” category.

Which heater will win in the “economical operation” category depends on the location of the user. It is clear that it will be more profitable for Russians to use natural gas, because in the Russian Federation it is much cheaper than electricity and the boiler will always be an outsider. But residents of Ukraine and Belarus have something to think about, for example, a multi-tariff electricity meter. Thanks to him, the storage heater can be in first place.

In the “reliability and service” category, friendship wins. Moreover, with tap water, rich in salts and impurities, which equally successfully attack the magnesium anode of the boiler and the water unit with the heat exchanger of the gas water heater. The anode “lives” from 2 to 5 years, during which time scale grows in the heat exchanger and rubber seals dry out, so the question of which is more economical to maintain remains open.

What is better at home: a gas water heater or a boiler: comparison table

As you can see, the question: “Which is better - a boiler or a gas water heater?” is in itself incorrect. If you have an apartment in a house equipped with electric stoves, there can be no talk about gas appliances. Owners of apartments with a gas pipeline have something to think about:

• The dispensers consume little blue fuel and heat water as much as needed. But the hassle with permission, approval and installation of equipment will not end. You will have to stock up on patience, free time and funds to go and achieve results;
• boilers are more energy-consuming, but not whimsical. It is easy to install, installation permits are not needed, they operate quietly, are not explosive, and can be turned off if not needed.

Decide. Choose the right unit. The last word is yours.

Useful article: TOP 5 best manufacturers of geysers