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TANKLESS Tankless Water Heater Product Guide Tankless Water Heater Applications Tankless Water Heater Electrical Guide Tankless Water Heater Installation Tankless Water Heater Cost Comparisons Tankless Water Heaters Service Guide
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REASONS others have failed to successfully produce a suitable whole house tankless water heater Primitive Temperature Control Because of very high-energy costs and limited water supply, most of the world, other than the U.S., uses some form of tankless water heater. The electric versions of these tankless water heaters are often very rudimentary, consisting only of a heating element inserted in a pipe or tube in the water flow. They are activated either automatically by a flow switch, or manually with an external switch. Typically, these versions are used at the "point of use" (near the sink or shower), thus reducing water wasted running out the fixture, waiting for the delivery of hot water. In many homes in the world, even today, the only hot water available in the whole house is provided in the bathroom by this type of tankless water heater for showers or warm baths. Until the 1970’s, most tankless water heaters’ only means of temperature control was a FLOW SWITCH which allowed the system to be turned on or off and a thermostat located in the flow of water within the device. This type of control is slow to respond, often allowing the water to be heated dangerously hot before the thermostat trips and shuts off the supply of heat. For this reason, the design of the heating capacity for these type heaters is limited to a heating capacity (BTU output- power) that is generally safe for the nominal flow rates of hot water typically experienced at the faucet or shower. In addition to the limitations for water heating capacity, the tankless heaters utilize a flow switch that will not allow the water heater to turn on until a minimum flow of hot water is achieved. This design is a further attempt to prevent overheating the water, reducing the potential for dangerous scalding. These tankless water heaters are referred to as "fixed input" water heaters because when activated, they turn on at their full heating capacity and remain at that level unless turned off by the thermostat or the flow switch. The absence of suitable temperature and power control for the electric tankless water heater have, prior to the Seisco, greatly reduced its suitability for residential, whole house, use. Insufficient Residential Electrical Service Until recently, homes have not had sufficient electrical service to make tankless water heaters practical, a first requirement for the electric tankless water heater. The electric tankless water heater can draw as much power (current/amps, not kWh*), for the short time it is used, as does the space heater for the house, when it is being used. Most homes until recently were provided with minimal electrical service (your home’s electric panel) most often rated at 100-125 amps. In a retrofit situation, there is often not sufficient service to provide for a whole house tankless electric water heater, except in areas that enjoy relatively warm water year round. Today, with so many new appliances and electric technologies, including the heat pump, electrical services have steadily increased for new homes. It is now very common for the builder to install 150-200+ amp services. Now, even manufactured homes are using the Seisco whole house electric tankless water heater. Lack of Adequate Devices to Control the Required Power No matter what the claims of others may be the technology for properly controlling the power supply to a whole-house tankless water heater hasn’t existed in tankless water heaters until the SEISCO. The reasons are covered in detail in the following sections. * Remember in residential services, you pay for kilowatt-hours not amps. To use kilowatt-hours you have to use kilowatts (power) for hours. The very thing you don’t do with an electric "flow-through" water heating system as it is on only when you use it and off the rest of the time. |
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