Inline Water Heater

Inline Water Heater - Tankless Water Heater

An inline, on demand, tankless or instantaneous water heater provides hot water only when it's needed. Inline water heaters are also called continuous flow, flash, on-demand, and instant on water heaters. They've been used for years in Europe but are only just catching on in the U.S.  Now they don't produce the standby hot water and energy losses that tank or storage water heaters do, so you can save a lot of money on your heating bills whether you're using electricity, propane or natural gas. Keep reading to find out how an inline water heater works and how to choose and buy the best inline water heater for you whether it's residential or commercial.  Advantages of an inline water heater are: long term energy savings, unlimited hot water, less physical space, reduced risk of war damage and temperature compensation. The disadvantages would be the start-up delay, intermittent use, installation cost, heat source flexibility, recirculation systems, achieving cooler temperatures, maintaining shower temperature, operation with low supply pressure and time of use metering and peak electrical loads.

How an Inline Water Heater Works -

How a Tankless Water Heater Works

Inline water heaters heat water instantly without the need of a storage tank. Because of this they avoid the loss of heat required by water heaters with tanks. Now when the hot water is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the inline heating unit. You can use a gas burner or an electric element to heat the water. This makes it convenient and efficient because these instantaneous or demand water heaters deliver an ever ready supply of hot water. There is no waiting for a reservoir or storage tank to fill up with enough hot water for your daily use. But keep in mind the inline water heater's output limits the flow rate you'll get.

You can usually count on instantaneous or inline water heaters providing you with hot water at a rate of maybe 2–5 gallons (7.6–15.2 liters) per minute. A gas inline water heater produces higher flow rates than electric continuous flow water heaters on the market today. But it's good to note that even the biggest; gas inline water heater can't offer enough hot water for many uses at one time in larger homes.

 So if you were taking a shower and washing clothes at the same time you would certainly put a big demand on this flash water heater. But as many do you can install two, three or even more inline hot water heaters, connected next to each other for extra demands for hot water. Also you can also put in or install separate continuous flow inline water heaters for your dishwasher. Washing machine or other major appliances that typically use quite a bit of hot water in your household.

You can also use an inline water heater for remote bathrooms, for hot tubs, as a booster for appliances like dishwashers or  washing machines, or even as a booster for a solar water heating system.

If you're considering a gas inline water heater consider this. Even though a gas tankless water heater has a higher flow rate than an electric tankless water heater, they can waste a lot of energy if they have a pilot light that is constantly on or burning. So this may offset getting rid of the standby energy losses when you compare it to a storage water heater. The cost to you for running a pilot light in an online water heater will vary depending on the model you buy. 

Check with the dealer or manufacturer about how much gas the pilot light uses for the demand water heater model you're thinking about buying. If you buy a gas inline model that uses a standing pilot light, you can always shut it off when it's not being used to save on energy and save money on your bill. You might want to think about on demand gas tankless water heaters that have an intermittent ignition device (IID) instead of the more usual standing pilot light. This is a device that looks like the spark ignition device on some models of gas kitchen ranges and gas ovens.

If you use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, demand water heaters can be 25% - 35% more energy efficient than a standard electric hot water heater with a tank. They can be 9% - 15% more energy efficient for households that use a lot of hot water - more than 75 gallons a day. You can get a better energy savings of 28% - 50% if you install an inline water heater at every one of the hot water outlets you have.

How to Choose and Buy an Inline Water Heater

Inline water heaters will cost more than the standard tank, reservoir or storage electric water heaters do. But the inline or continuous flow water heater should have lower operating and energy costs, which could very well offset higher purchase prices.

But before you buy a demand water heater, make sure to consider the size you need, fuel type - gas or electric, availability of the kind you need, energy efficiency and try to estimate your costs in advance. Read reviews, ratings and comparisons and make sure to shop around for discounts and tankless water heaters for sale or on sale and compare prices before you buy to save money. You may be even to get a good instant water heater cheap.

Inline Water Heater Brands

Brand names include; Stiebel Eltron, Rheem, Coates, Seisco, Bosch, Watts, Eemax, Rinnai and Tagaki.

Inline Water Heater - Tankless Water Heater Products and Descriptions - Reviews

Stiebel Eltron DHC 8-2 Electric Tankless Water Heater
... faucet aerators are recommended in with tankless water heaters.  

Bosch RP1P Powerstream Pro Electric Tankless Water Heater Bosch RP1P Powerstream Pro Electric Tankless Water HeaterPoint-of-use hot water heaters can supply up to 2 sinks at a time and provide endless hot water.

Stiebel Eltron Tempra 24 Plus Electric Tankless Water Heater

The Tempra has several advantages over a gas-type tankless water heater. 

Bosch ProTankless GWH 715 ES NG Tankless Water Heater, Natural Gas.
Specifications:; Gas Connection ;" Male NPT; Water Connections

Bosch AE125 PowerStar 4 GPM Indoor Electric Tankless Water Heater.
From the Manufacturer: PowerStar water heaters bring the performance of tankless models to situations where an electric unit is preferred.

Bosch AquaStar Propane Tankless Water Heater #125HX-LP 
Product Description: The Bosch 125HX-LP AquaStar propane tankless water heater can cut your water-heating costs by up to 50 percent.

Rinnai R75LSiN Tankless Water Heater -- Natural Gas

Watts 500528 Premier Four-Chamber Tankless Electric Hot Water Heater
Product Description: The Watts Premier 4-chamber tankless electric hot water heater provides an endless supply of hot water.

Eemax EX160T2 Series Two Electric Tankless Water Heater Parallel.
... ±0.5;F Eemax EX160T2 Series Two Electric Tankless Water Heater Parallel with Two Thermostats Features: On Demand Hot Water - no delay. Continuous Hot water.
 
Stiebel Eltron DHC 5-2 Electric Tankless Water Heater
Faucet aerators are recommended in conjunction with tankless water heaters.

Stiebel Eltron DHC 10-2 Electric Tankless Water Heater

TAKAGI Outdoor Tankless Hot Water Heater
Takagi Flash Outside Installation Propane Tankless Water Heater T-K3-OS LPNG Input: Min. 11000 Btu - Max. 190000 BtuGas Connection: 3/4" NPTWater

RHEEM 199KBTU Propane Tankless Water Heater GT199DVP

Rheem Propane Tankless Water HeaterModel: GT199DVP (Direct Vent Liquid Propane)3/4" Water Connections3/4" Gas ConnectionD.OE Annual Operating Cost- $167.

Rheem RTG-95DVP Indoor LP Tankless Water Heater (Old Model RTG-74DVP)
Energy-Efficient Design ... Control - Simple to set the water temparature Self Diagnostic - Inbuilt.

Stiebel Eltron DHC 6-2 Electric Tankless Water Heater

Eemax SP3512 "Single Point" Electric Tankless Water Heater
On Demand Hot Water - no delay. Cut Energy Waste -flow switch activates heater only on.

Eemax EX90T "Thermostatic" Electric Tankless Water Heater
Cuts energy waste -flow switch activates heater only on demand (no standby heat loss). .

Rheem Tankless Water Heater RTG-53XP, Outdoor Use

Bosch 1600P NG AquaStar 4.3 GPM Indoor Tankless Natural Gas Water ...
Bosch, 1 Major Appliance Or Shower At A Time, Natural Gas Tankless Water Heater, 117000 BTU Input Delivers 3.3 Gallons Per Minute At A 55 Degree Fahrenheit.

Stiebel Eltron DHC-E 10 Electric Tankless WaterHeater

DHC-E is a tankless water heater system, and is thereby not subject to seismic code.  DHC-E Tankless Electric Water Heaters deliver instant hot water. 

Rinnai R94LSi Tankless Water Heater LP Propane gas
Qualifies For Federal Tax Credit ENERGY STAR  modern design, commercial-grade heat exchanger Lightweight and compact Integrated condensate.

Chronomite SR-30 208v Instant-Flow SR Tankless Water Heater
Features:;Unlimited Hot Water; 98% Energy Efficient; Compact Size; Easy to Install.

Bosch AquaStar Indoor Natural Gas Tankless Water Heater #125FX NG
is fueled by natural gas and heats water on demand, cutting water-heating costs by up to 50%.

Bosch FXHOOD-  the FXHOOD for Bosch 125FX Tankless Water Heater
... is required when installing the Bosch 125FX tankless water heater models. ... freezing the heat exchanger on the AquaStar Tankless Water Heater 125FX.

Eemax EX160TC Series Two Electric Tankless Water Heater with.

Takagi Propane Tankless Water Heater 199000 BTU TK3LP
Takagi Flash Liquid Propane Tankless Water Heater T-K3 LP LPG Input: Min. 11000 Btu - Max. 199000 Btu Gas Connection: 3/4" NPT Water Connections: 3/4" NPT.

Chronomite SR-30L Instant Flow Tankless Electric Water Heater 
Instant-Flow SR model SR-30L tankless electric (110-120 volt) water heater is 98% energy efficient in a compact size providing unlimited hot water.

Takagi N.Gas Tankless Water Heater 140000 BTU TKJRNG

Bosch ProTankless GWH 715 ES LP Tankless Water Heater, Propane Specifications: Gas Connection, Male NPT, Water Connections, Male NPT, LP Gas Pressure.

Rheem Tankless Water Heater RTG20037 Cosmetic Pipe Cover
This lower pipe cover serves as both a tamper-proof and cosmetic solution for larger tankless gas water heaters.

 Inline Water Heater Installation and Maintenance

You want to make sure your inline water heater is properly installed and maintained for the best energy efficiency.

Installing will depend on the fuel type- gas or electric, your climate, your local building code requirements, and other safety issues, especially if you have a gas water heater. Make sure to have a plumbing and heating contractor who is knowledgeable install your inline water heater and check with local building codes and for permits required. Installing one yourself is not the best option especially if is a gas demand water heater.

An inline water heater will last 20 years or more. It's easy to replace parts that will extend life by many years. Conventional tank water heaters may last only ten years. Inline Water Heater

Picture of an Inline Water Heater - Picture of a Tankless Water Heater

This one installed in a shower.