Instruments providing an apartment or private house with hot water at any time, these days are very relevant. Their choice is quite extensive, and it is not easy to determine which equipment is more advantageous in this or that case. To buy a suitable device, it is important to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each type of water heater.
Types of technology for providing hot water
According to the principle of their work, all heating devices are divided into storage and flow. The first collect water and heat it for a certain time period, while the latter perform heating during use. Both these types of heaters are also divided depending on the energy carrier used for electrical and gas.
As a result, you can name such types of equipment that heats water:
- Gas flow heater( gas column).Water in such a device is heated while moving through the heat exchanger under the influence of the flame of the burner.
- Electric storage heater( boiler).Water is first recruited into the apparatus, and then begins to heat with the built-in heating element.
- Gas storage heater.
- Electric flow heater.
The most common are the first two types, which in most cases, and need to be compared, to choose a suitable water heater.
Gas column
Pros
- A working column is capable of providing the house with hot water for an unlimited period of time. Once the user opens the tap, he immediately receives warm water until he closes the valve.
- In modern columns there is an electronic control allowing to control the intensity of combustion, as a result of which changes in the water pressure in the pipes do not affect the final temperature of the water coming from the tap.
- Columns are small in size, so they are often bought for a bathroom or kitchen of a small area.
- Modern speakers are highly reliable devices. To ensure the safety of their work in the columns there are many sensors.
Cons
- Gas columns significantly lose to boilers in terms of efficiency.
- The power of the device may not be enough to ensure a uniform supply of water to two points. For example, if the column is low-powered, hot water will only flow to one tap. Medium-power devices allow to supply water to two cranes, however, the pressure will be uneven.
- For its work, the column requires a chimney and good ventilation of the room.
- Many columns are poorly functioning when the pressure of gas or water changes.
- With an open combustion chamber, the oxygen content in the room is reduced.
- If the water in pipes is too cold in winter, the column often does not cope with its heating.
- Due to poor water quality, the gas columns must be regularly cleaned of scale.
- The installation of gas-powered equipment is quite a troublesome and costly business. It requires a project and its approval, after which the installation and connection should be done by an organization that has a license for such actions.
Boiler
Pros
- The installation of such a heater is quite simple and can be performed independently.
- The chimney does not require a chimney for operation, nor is ventilation important.
- Changes in temperature or water pressure in the pipes do not affect the operation of the boiler in any way.
- In modern boilers, TEN does not come into direct contact with water, therefore scale is not formed.
Cons
- Such equipment is unable to quickly provide a large amount of hot water. The volume of warm water received from one boiler is limited, and when the water runs out, it is necessary to wait several hours while the next portion is heated.
- Boiler capacities may not be sufficient to provide hot water for the whole family.
- Dimensions of storage electric heaters are quite large. Hanging a boiler over a bathroom or toilet, users often hit his head.
Comparison in table
| Boiler | Gas column |
| Compactness | |
| Predominantly large sizes. | More compact. |
| Water heating rate | |
| Heating of water is long, takes from 2-3 hours and longer. | Heats the water quickly, almost immediately after opening the faucet. |
| Efficiency | |
| 98-99% | Up to 92% |
| Installation | |
| Simple, requires no special skills. | Complicated, must be performed by qualified specialists |
| Installation requirements for | |
| There are no special requirements, and no authorization is required for the installation. Pipes can be plastic. Installation can be performed on any surface when accessing the outlet and the water supply. | Requires centralized gas supply. Pipes should be metal. For conventional models( not turbocharged) you need a chimney, as well as good supply and exhaust ventilation. The wall must be covered with a heat-resistant material. It is necessary to collect the permitting installation package of documents. |
| Service Features | |
| Regular replacement of the anode( usually 2-5 years) is required, as well as periodic cleaning of internal walls and TEN from scale. | Every year, it is required to clean the heat exchanger from scale, while the other parts of the column are dust and carbon deposits, and also to replace rubber seals. |
What is more profitable to buy in terms of price?
To determine which of the heaters will cost less, you need to consider several points:
- The price of the device itself. Depending on the model parameters, it will vary greatly.
- Cost of installation works. Installation of a gas heater is much more expensive than installing a boiler.
- Energy expenditure. For our country, the use of natural gas is more affordable and cheaper than electricity consumption.
- Spending on maintenance. Both types of devices need to be cleaned periodically.
Most often, the price of a gas column, taking into account the cost of the installation, is more expensive than the price of a boiler, but the energy costs are higher for a boiler, since gas in our country is quite cheap.
What is more economical in consumption?
To determine the efficiency of the device, it is necessary to take into account not only the power source used, but also certain equipment parameters. The power consumption of the boiler will depend on the capacity of the device, and the column's consumption of gas is affected not only by its power, but also by the type of ignition( when piezo-ignited, the gas will be consumed continuously, and when electric it will only be used when the tap is turned on).
To find out what is best to buy - a boiler or a column, see the video of the "magazinexpert" channel.
