Storage Tank vs. Navien Tankless Water Heater: What’s the Ideal Water Heater for Your Home
Whether you’re remodeling your home or you’re building your first home, your choice of water heater greatly impacts you and your family. Since 19% of the energy used in the average Canadian home goes to water heaters, your decision on what type of water heater to buy will have a lasting impact on your family’s finances, as well as the quality of life for your family.
What Is a Storage Water Heater & How Does It Work
A storage water heater is a big, cylindrical tank with pipes attached to it. It has 2 functions: it heats water and stores water until its needed.
A storage water heater that is meant for a single family offers a standby supply of 75 to 302 liters of hot water. When you turn on the hot water tap, hot water is released from the top of the storage tank. To replenish the hot water, cold water enters at the bottom of the storage tank.
In order for the water inside of the storage tank to remain warm, the water is constantly being heated even though there isn’t a hot water tap turned on. This constant heating of the water in the storage tank, called “standby heat loss”, wastes energy.
In order to extend the life of the storage tank and to lessen the loss of efficiency of this type of water heater, the following periodic water heater upkeeps are required:
Flush a quart of water from the storage tank every 3 months.
Check the pressure valve and temperature every 6 months.
As a safety measure, all storage water heaters are fitted with temperature-and-pressure relief valve. In the even that either the pressure or temperature goes beyond a safe limit, this valve opens.
Inspect the anode rod every 3 to 4 years.
All storage water heaters have an anode rod. The purpose of this rod is to control corrosion – the primary reason to storage tank fails. The rod is specifically designed to corrode. As such, it’s important to inspect the anode rod every 3 to 4 years and replace it when necessary.
What Is a Navien Tankless Water Heater & How It Works
A Navien tankless water heater is a specific type of tankless water heater that offers a continuous flow of hot water, without the large, cylindrical tank.
Size Matters
Navien tankless water heaters, specifically the Navien NPE tankless water heater series, can be mounted on the wall and occupy 80% less space in comparison to the 302 liter storage-type water heater. The biggest model of the Navien NPE tankless water heater series is only 17.3”W x 27.4”H x 13.2”D.
Save Money
The Navien tankless water heater don’t waste energy as the storage-type water heaters do. Tankless water heaters only heat water when it is in use; therefore, there’s no cost for maintaining heat.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), for a household that uses 155 liters or less of hot water every day, a tankless water heater can be 24% to 34% more energy efficient than a storage-type water heater tank. The U.S. DOE added that a tankless water heater can be 8% to 14% more energy efficient for a household that uses a lot of hot water – approximately 325 liters each day.
According to Natural Resources Canada, a typical Canadian household uses an average of 75 liters of hot water every day for showering, cleaning, washing dishes and clothing.
ENERGY STAR estimates that the average family can save up to $100 or more each year with an ENERGY STAR qualified tankless water heater; the Navien tankless water heater is an ENERGY STAR tankless water heater.
The purchase price of the Navien tankless water heater can be higher than the storage-type water heater; however the long life span, low operating costs and low energy costs can offset the initial rate.
The Navien tankless water heater has parts that ensure years of trouble-free service. The heat exchanger in the Navien is made of stainless steel, not copper, extending the life of the heater by resisting corrosion. It also has the industry’s longest warranty, including 15 years on the heat exchanger.
The operating cost of a 189 gallon storage-type water heater (based on the annual estimated residential use per U.S. DOE test criteria) is $293 and other tankless water heater brands are $228, while the Navien tankless water heater’s annual operating cost is only $191. Depending on your location, you can also avail for a variety of energy efficiency credits and rebates.
“It’s important to remember the cost of energy to operate a product over its lifetime is just as important as its purchase price. For water heaters, the operating costs are calculated by factoring in the size and type of unit, the energy source, and the equipment’s energy efficiency,” Natural Resources Canada said.
Save the Environment
Since the Navien tankless water heater only uses energy when hot water is needed, it not only saves you money, but it also lowers the impact on the environment. This particular water heater doesn’t waste energy to heat a large storage tank. A Navien tankless water heater makes the most of your money by using up to 99¢ of every $1 that it costs to actually heat your water.
The Navien tankless heater reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by 1,216.8 lbs. per year when compared to conventional storage-type water heaters – equivalent to 62 gallons of gasoline in your car.
Smart Home Device
With NaviLink, the Navien tankless water heater’s optional Wi-Fi remote control system, you can check your heater’s status from anywhere once you have an internet connection.
You can connect to your Navien unit by downloading the free NaviLink app on your tablet or smartphone. With the NaviLink app, you can do the following:
Activate your recirculation pump while on your way home or wirelessly from any room in your house
Turn your unit on and off
Set your Domestic Hot Water (DHW) temperature remotely
Monitor 3 channels of 8 units cascaded together
Get statistics on total operating hours, current gas usage, DHW set temperature, DHW flow rate, inlet water temperature and percentage of heating capacity
Contact us today and protect your family’s comfort.
If you’ve run out of hot water or your water heater simply stops working,
then you understand the importance of choosing the right water heater for
your home.
For your next water heater, here are 7 facts about Navien tankless water
heater for you to consider:
1. It provides hot water only when it’s needed.
Navien tankless water heater is a type of water heating system that
provides hot water only when you need it. The traditional tank-type water
heaters, on the other hand, produce hot water 24/7 – even in instances when
it isn’t needed. Tankless water heater is also called demand-type or
instantaneous water heater.
By heating your water only when it’s needed, your Navien tankless water
heater doesn’t produce the unnecessary standby energy associated with the
storage type water heating system. This by-demand water heater saves you
money.
2. It delivers quick and endless water.
Navien’s “ComfortFlow” technology delivers you fast and continuous flow of
hot water. No more cold showers. No more running out of hot water and no
more waiting time for the water to heat up. A tankless water heater heats
water without the need of a storage tank. When you turn on your hot water
tap, a gas burner is fired up and heats the water. Because of this, a
tankless heater delivers instant and constant supply of hot water.
The company’s ComfortFlow technology eliminates the “cold water sandwich” –
a phenomenon associated with other conventional tankless systems where the
water that comes out of the heater for the first few minutes is warm,
followed by cold water and then followed by warm water.
3. It saves money.
According to Natural Resources Canada, every day, Canadians use an average of 75 liters of hot water each at
home. Hot water is typically used for washing dishes and clothing,
showering and cleaning. Based on the 2013 report of the Natural Resources
Canada, space heating accounted for 63% of the energy used in the average
Canadian household, followed by water heating (19%), appliances (12%),
Lighting (4%) and space cooling (1%).
“Make the switch to an ENERGY STAR certified water heater to cut your
electricity bill and reduce your carbon footprint,” the Natural Resources
Canada recommended.
A. Energy Factor
Navien’s NPE-A series received a 0.97 energy factor from ENERGY STAR – an
international program that provides certification for consumer products
which meet certain standards of energy efficiency.
Energy.gov, which is run by the US Energy Department, defines energy factor as “the amount of hot water produced per unit of fuel consumed over a typical day”. According to the department, the higher the energy factor, the more efficient the water heater is.
B. Operating Cost
A high energy factor, however, doesn’t equate to lower annual operating
cost, the department said. In calculating the annual operating cost, the
following elements have to be considered: energy factor and fuel cost. The
estimated annual operating cost of the Navien tankless water heater, based
on the annual estimated residential use per US Energy Department test
criteria, is $191.
This $191 estimated annual operating cost is lower compared to the
estimated annual cost of a 50-gallon tank-type water heater, which is $293.
That’s a saving of more than $100 per year.
C. Product Lifespan
For its heating system, Navien used stainless steel heat exchangers instead
of copper – a metal that’s susceptible to corrosion. Stainless steel, on
the other, is corrosion resistant, extending the lifespan of the Navien
heating system. According to Energy.gov, most tankless water heaters have a life expectancy of over 20 years. In contrast, tank-type water heaters last for 10 to 15 years.
Navien offers the strongest warranty in the industry, including the 15-year
warranty on the heat exchanger. Energy efficiency credits and rebates are
also available depending on your location if you purchase a Navien water
heater.
If you calculate your yearly savings, added lifespan, credits and rebates,
this product essentially pays for itself. “It’s important to remember the
cost of energy to operate a product over its lifetime is just as important
as its purchase price,” Natural Resources Canada said.
4. It lowers impact on the environment.
Because the Navien tankless heater only fires up when hot water is needed,
this lowers the impact on the environment. Navien’s premixed burner
releases the shortest flame, significantly reducing the water heater’s
carbon footprint. The Navien water heater reduces harmful Nitrogen by about
75%.
Compared to tank-type heaters, the Navien tankless heater reduces your
annual carbon footprint by 1,216.8 lbs. – equivalent to a saving of 62
gallons of gasoline in your car or photosynthesis of about 31 mature
cypress trees. Installing the Navien water heater, therefore, effectively
contributes to reducing carbon footprint, a primary cause of global
warming.
5. It saves space.
The Navien heating system can be mounted on the wall. This gives extra
space in your basement, laundry room or garage – areas where heating
systems are typically placed. If you live in a tiny home or even if your
home is big enough, if you’ve lived there for few years, you’ll value an
extra space.
One Navien NPE-A series unit occupies 80% less space compared to a
conventional 50-gallon tank-type heater. The company’s largest unit is only
17.3″W x 27.4″H x 13.2″D.
6. It gives you peace of mind.
NaviLink, Navien’s newest industry-first innovation, is an optional
Wi‑Fi remote control system that makes it easy for you to connect
with your Navien heating system from anywhere in the world.
The NaviLink module can be easily attached to all Navien water heaters. New
main PCB and front control panel need to be purchased for Navien units
produced prior to March 23, 2016 in order to be compatible with NaviLink.
Once this module is installed, download the free NaviLink app onto your
tablet or smartphone. This will then give you access to your Navien water
heating system. Through the NaviLink app, you can remotely control the
heater temperature, receive diagnostic notifications and access usage data.
Connect with us today to discover special deals on the Navien tankless water heater, make your home more efficient and save money
Unless you’re living in a tropical country, a reliable water heater is critically important to your quality of life.
If your water heater goes bust during winter months, it may not just be an inconvenience. This is a major appliance whose function can really affect your whole family!
So, how much do you know about your water heater? What is a water heater life span? In this article, we’ll explore some important questions and give you insight on how to ensure you never go without hot water.
Types of Water Heaters
There are basically three types of water heaters: conventional tank heaters, tankless heaters, and hybrid heaters that are basically a combination of the first two.
Conventional tank heaters store water in a tank and keep it continuously heated up to a predefined temperature. They vary in capacity and efficiency and can take up a lot of space. The main advantage of conventional tank heaters is that they are economical and reliable.
Tankless heaters heat water with an electric resistance element or a gas burner, providing hot water on demand. They are typically more expensive than conventional tank heaters and have a longer water heater life span, but take up much less space and reduce energy consumption.
Hybrid heaters combine a tank with on-demand heating. They can be fairly expensive, but live for a long while and can deliver more hot water faster than a standard gas or electric water heater.
Factors that Affect Your Water Heater Life Span
If properly maintained, a typical tank water heater can last for about a decade, while a tankless heater that’s not overused can last twenty years. Even if your heater seems to run perfectly, consider replacing it if it’s more than a decade old, as no heater is designed with more years in mind, and it may suddenly break down.
The most common issue with tank heaters is a leaking tank, but how do you prevent something like that? It turns out that you can, to a large extent.
By flushing the tank to drain sediments, and by checking the anode rod annually, you ensure the inside of your heater is rust-free and safe from damage caused by sediment.
When it comes to tankless heaters, depleting them regularly due to overuse may cause damage to the interior lining and make them deteriorate faster, reducing their water heater life span.
Increasing your Water Heater Life Span
As seen above, you can extend your water heater life span by proper maintenance and prudent use. Let’s see some important details below:
Pressure Relief
The pressure relief valve will reduce pressure in a tank heater to prevent mechanical damage from high pressure. A stuck valve can lead to leaks, and in dramatic cases even heater explosions!
The pressure relief valve is typically on top of your water heater and opens automatically when pressure reaches a certain threshold. To check it, just place a bucket below and slowly open it to test if it’s working. It’s best to do so when the heater is full but NOT working, so the water is cold.
Replacing the pressure relief valve is easy as most models allow you to just unscrew the old one and screw back the replacement. Note that if you’ve never tested your valve and your heater is several years old, you may cause it to leak after testing it. Replace immediately if that happens.
Draining the Tank
In order to drain the tank, first turn off the heat. Electric heaters will just have an ‘off’ button, while gas heaters might have a dial that goes down to ‘0’.
Then, shut the valve that feeds the water heater and then turn on the hot water (any faucet will do) to drain the water inside the tank. Leave this faucet on for as long as you want your tank to remain empty.
Again, it’s best to wait several hours from turning off the heat to draining your heater, to allow the water to cool down.
Flushing out Sediment
The bottom of your tank might collect sediment as the years go by. Sediment buildup will deteriorate your tank faster while reducing its efficiency (you’ll be heating useless sediment instead of actual water.)
You don’t have to empty your tank to remove sediment. A few gallons from the bottom will do. Just keep emptying until you see the water come out clear. If sediment is left in the tank for too long, it can solidify and become impossible to remove.
Signs and symptoms that it’s time to replace your heater
Obviously, if your heater is leaking, it’s a clear sign that’s something is going wrong! Leaky heaters almost always need replacement, but a professional plumber might be able to repair it if the issue is localized, and especially if it’s the pressure valve.
Apart from leaking, there are several other signs and symptoms that will tell you if your heater is malfunctioning or if it’s getting closer to the end of its life. These symptoms include:
Red, yellow or rusty water: This indicates that your heater has rusted internally, but may be also caused if piping is rusty. To make sure it’s not your heater, drain it ASAP as indicated above and see what’s going on.
Lower water temperature: If water feels colder even if the temperature settings haven’t changed, then your heater might be malfunctioning. Shut it down and call an expert.
Rumbling, banging and other weird noises: Unusual noises can mean sediment buildup or other nasty problems. If you get this problem early, you may get away with just flushing sediment, but if you ignore rumbling noises, you may have to replace your heater sooner than you expect.
Hot water the smart way
In today’s interconnected world, water heaters are just one of many elements that make a modern house efficient and pleasant to live in. If you seek a comprehensive way to manage your home and all utilities, you should consider an efficient and cost-effective smart home bundle solution that will give automate your home the smart way and give you peace of mind.
Smart home bundles can cover everything from heating and cooling protection, to smoke detectors and smart locks, to proper annual maintenance that will maximize your water heater life span. Contact us today to find out how the leaders in smart home solutions in Canada can help you!
Why Water Heater Rental is a Good Decision for Your Home
You can rent pretty much anything you like today. Anything from a big screen TV to a lawnmower is rentable. Hey, you could even rent an airplane if you had enough money.
There are some things you may have never thought of renting. Things people only think about when they have a major change in their lives. One of those things is a water heater.
Water heater rentals do exist. They’re a fairly new phenomenon. And the popularity is modest.
But the real question is, why should you rent a hot water heater?
Water Heater Rental: Do It To Save On The Cost
Let’s go back to the airplane rentals for a moment. While it may seem absurd to compare airplanes to water heaters, if you bear with us a moment, you’ll see our point.
And then you have repairs and maintenance to consider. Airplanes are expensive to fix. When something major goes wrong, the airline has to foot the bill. But if they rent the plane, the repair is one the rental company to fix.
This last bit is the connection we’re looking for. One of the real advantages of hot water heater rental is the same advantage airlines have in renting their airplanes. Repair.
Just like with your house or apartment rental, repairs are the responsibility of the rental company. If the unit goes out completely, it’s on them to replace it.
And rental will reduce your upfront cost by making you only a small monthly fee to rent. If you’re in debt or trying to get on your feet financially, this may be your best option long term.
Water Heater Rental: Other Reasons
Water heaters can last up to 10 years or more. They really should be replaced at ten years given the advance of technology each decade. Because we really do want to keep your home efficient and your gas or electric bill down.
So we install the very best Giant hot water heaters that will be efficient even ten years down the line.
If you own a restaurant, a downed hot water heater could spell a major loss of income for you.
No hot water means no clean dishes. And you cannot operate a restaurant with dirty dishes.
You may have to wait weeks for a new hot water heater to arrive. And if it’s a busy season, finding a technician to install the machine might tack on more time.
Avoid losing income and time by renting a hot water heater.
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