Tankless Water Heaters - Archives - Reeves Journal -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 9/21/2004
Last Visited: 12/25/2005
"Our business has really exploded in the last couple of years," said Aaron Siegal, director of marketing and sales for EEMAX, Inc., a supplier of tankless water heaters based in Oxford, Conn. "The market for tankless water heaters is certainly on the upswing, especially on the residential side.
...
Electric tankless water heaters typically offer a little less capacity than the gas-powered versions, according to Siegal."The electric tankless water heater, which we characterize as our whole-house product, is roughly 28 kilowatts with a capacity of right around five gallons per minute," he said.
...
"The advantages are several," Siegal said."Because the unit creates hot water when activated by flow, you have an unlimited source of hot water, which is attractive to a lot of consumers.Also the unit is very compact and only consumes energy when you have water going through it.There is a point in time where the capacity may exceed the product's performance, so that's what you have to look at.To put it into perspective, a shower is roughly 2.5 gallons, and a tub might be three gallons per minute. ,A tankless water heater, certainly has the capacity to do more than one application at a time, but it is limited by the capacity you're using."
Siegal does not advise using a tankless unit as a stand-alone system for a jetted tub (that may require seven or eight GPM) or a multi-spray shower system (that may require 10 GPM).Using multiple tankless water heaters can often be the solution to such a situation."You may want to consider using more than one of these type of products if your capacity needs exceed their design capabilities," he said."As consumers become more aware of this type of technology, it becomes important to have some dialogue with the manufacturer or with an educated salesperson ,who can, tell them both the benefits and limitations of this product."
Overall, there are three very important distinct advantages of tankless water heaters, according to Siegal: unlimited water supply, energy savings, and space-saving size."You're not challenged by having to put a large tank or storage vessel in your garage or basement," he said.
...
"EEMAX has participated on several ‘green' buildings," Siegal said.
...
"You want to look for a company that's reputable and reliable, with a good reputation, that has been around for awhile," Siegal said.