Electric Hot Water Heaters
Customers who buy water heaters in Greeley, CO know that there are many types of water heaters on the market. They are fueled by electricity, heating oil, LP or natural gas, and generally speaking, your water heater will be fueled by whatever source you use for heating your home.
Fuel-fired water heaters have a vent pipe located at the top to carry away the exhaust gases. Electric models need only a power cable connecting the heater to your electric service panel. They are typically wired to a 220-volt circuit. The water is heated when the current passes through electrical-resistance heating elements, generally located at the middle of the tank and at the bottom.
Tanks or No Tanks?
Electric water heaters come in both tankless and traditional water heater models. The difference? When your home has a traditional tank-type water heater, it not only heats the water, but keeps the contained water warm between heating cycles.
This process is controlled by a gauge inside the tank that senses the water temperature. When the water cools below your preset level, the unit kicks on and brings the water temperature back up. This means the water heater is always heating water in the tank to the desired temperature – always.
Even when you are away on vacation, your water heater is busy making sure you’ll have enough hot water the minute you walk back in through your door.
The cost of heating your water depends on your local utility costs.
And Here’s Something Most Homeowners Don’t Know:
No matter the fuel source, the best water heater for your home can be judged by the FHR rating. That stands for the First-Hour Rating for the system – how much hot water the unit will reliably deliver in a set amount of time.
An 80-gallon water heater is usually recommended for a household of three to four people, but not all heaters of that size crank out the same amount of hot water per hour.
Say your family of four uses 40 gallons of water while getting ready for school and work between 7 and 8 a.m. If your 80-gallon water heater has an FHR of 30 gallons, that last shower is going to be a cold one!
Electric Tankless Hot Water Heaters
Tankless heaters only heat water on demand, as you need it. More expensive to buy and install than traditional tank heaters, they are more cost efficient to run than tank systems. However, in high-demand homes they may not provide enough hot water quickly enough.
Contact us for a free estimate on a new water heater installation. We're happy to help you decide which type, what size of of water heater, and the best FHR rating to install in your home.
