Water Heaters & Accessories

Choosing the right water heater for your home

In need of a water heater for your home? Even thou we live in the tropics, every household needs a water heater, especially during those cold(er) winter mornings! But which type of heater is the right one for you?

 

There are two main types of heaters available at Kooyman, the instant (tank-less) water heater and the tank-based water heater. The instant water heater warms the water on demand while the tank-based heater warms the water and stores it in an insulated tank until it’s needed. 

 

These two types operate quite differently so when deciding which one to buy, you would have to consider your hot water demand to be able to know which one is the right pick for your household!

 

Tankless Water Heaters

An on-demand water heater doesn’t store any water but uses the cold water from the main system and heats it on demand. As the water heater heats the water on demand it's normally more energy efficient than a traditional storage tank heater as it doesn’t need to keep unused water hot. They actually direct as much as 98% of their power usage towards heating your water meaning they are extremely energy efficient!

 

As these tankless water heaters are small, they can easily be installed on a convenient wall near, for example, your shower. They don’t need a complex water system to operate but can be added to the existing one in our home. And as they don’t store any water they won’t build up rust or any bacteria in the tank, this means that you will have fresh water at any time!

 

Even thou most on demand water heaters uses electricity to operate there are gas options as well. These work a bit differently than the electric ones, but they could still be the right choice for your home.

 

The storage tank water heater

This common type of water heater uses an insulated tank where the water is heated and then stored until needed. They are also available in electric and gas models. As this type of heater stores the warm water you would need to calculate how much warm water your household would need on average and buy the appropriate tank size for those needs. The bigger the household, the bigger the tank!

 

This tank-based water heater is also dependent on a water system that can carry the warm water through the house. This also means that installation can be costly if your home doesn’t already have the water system for it.

 

Another factor to consider is the recovery rate: this means the amount of water it can heat in an hour while at the same time, refilling the tank. The bigger your demand for hot water is, the higher recovery rate is needed.

 

Water heater timer

Used for the tank-based water heaters, these Water Heater Accessories can be connected to the unit's electrical supply and can be set so the heater only uses energy at particular times through the day. It can then be off during the day when you are at work etc. This way you can cut back on electricity usage and save money by running the water heater only when you are home or needed.

 

Which one is right for you?

If you have a big household with a larger hot water demand, opting in for a tank-based water heater might be the best choice for you. This because installing separate instant heaters can be more expensive and cost more to operate in the long term. But if you decide to only use warm water for the showers, then the on-demand heater can be the most cost efficient option!

 

Consider your needs and check out Kooyman's assortment of water heaters. If you have any specific questions, contact us for more information!