If you’ve made up your mind to get a new gas hot water system, here are a few things you should know, from an expert!
Are there multiple kinds of Gas Hot Water Systems?
The answer is yes, but generally split into just 2 categories.
- There are gas continuous flow hot water heaters
- And there are gas storage hot water cylinders
Both do a wonderful job, but have different strengths and weaknesses.
So first we’ll look at gas continuous flow hot water heaters.
The strengths are:
- Number one, and most well known for, they deliver endless hot water
- They’re powerful, high pressure systems
- The most efficient gas hot water systems
- Super reliable
- They are compact and take up very little space
- They’re most commonly fitted outside
- And they cater for households with flexible numbers of people
The weaknesses are:
- Not many weaknesses
- They deliver a limited volume of water, well all systems do, but these are generally less than a conventional hot water cylinder
- And they can be noisy, if in an outdoor living space
- A short and generally insignificant list
One other consideration though is they use an abundance of gas when they’re in operation and no gas when they’re not. This isn’t a problem, however the issue can be, if you have an existing gas hot water cylinder, and you decide to upgrade to continuous flow type, the gas pipe from the meter to the unit is too small, and it can cost a lot of money to upgrade.
Which are the most common brands of Continuous Gas Hot Water Heaters?
By far the most popular is the Rinnai, but closely followed by the Rheem. The Rinnai is often referred to as an Infinity, or Rinnai Infinity. This was powerful marketing, and the name has stuck in Kiwis home owners minds.
Which is better – Rheem or Rinnai?
I’ll give you a completely unbiased answer here. They are just as good as each other. Just get the best deal on the day.
We say there are 3 R’s in hot water in Auckland NZ, and they are all awesome… Rheem, Rinnai, and Regency.
Rheem and Rinnai are the best products.
Regency Plumbing is the best installer of gas hot water heaters in Auckland NZ.
So you decide on which model you’d like to install and Regency Plumbing will fit it for you. If you need more help deciding, the friendly team at Regency Plumbing will be more than happy to help you. Just get in touch with them. The number is 0800 PLUMBER | 0800 758 623
So, in brief – lets look at the Gas Storage Hot Water Cylinders
When it comes to gas storage options – there are 2. Indoor and outdoor gas storage hot water cylinders. Both are made by Rheem. Both do exactly the same job, but for the different indoor or outdoor applications. And as you would have guessed the indoor model is flued to outside.
They aren’t as efficient, and are big bulky cylinders, so as a result, we never install either of these in new homes anymore, however if you have an existing gas storage hot water cylinder, these 2 replacement models are available and both very good.
Not as efficient as the small compact Rheem and Rinnai continuous gas hot water heaters, so not as popular, but often more economical regarding cost when it comes to replacement, especially if you have an indoor model in a multi level home.
One other advantage of the gas storage cylinder is the abundance of water that comes out of them. Up to 40 litres per minute… So, if you have multiple showers that get used all at once these still have their place.
The disadvantage, you can still run out of hot water, and the running costs are greater.
If you have a gas storage cylinder and you want to replace it with a continuous flow gas hot water heater – Is it possible?
Absolutely, it will be possible, but it can just be challenged sometimes by cost. For example if it cost you $1500 more initially to get a continuous gas hot water heater fitted, than a gas storage hot water cylinder, then you’d have to make a lot of savings in efficiency to get your money back.
On the flip side – if you run out of hot water all the time, it’s a no brainer…
So, is there a perfect answer? No, there are multiple solutions that can be best, depending on the circumstances, however 99% of the time… The answer is…
Get a continuous gas hot water system, you’ll love it!
