Jan
Time for a new gas hot water system, but you cant decide what to get. Will it be the Rheem Stellar or the Rheem Continuous Gas Hot Water Heater that is best for you. Hopefully this blog will help you. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE RHEEM STELLAR AND THE RHEEM INTEGRITY As this debate or question comes up every day, which is better? I will do my best to share some help on this topic for you. There is no real right and wrong, both are fantastic hot water systems, both have gas as the energy source, but both have different pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages. It is always best that you first are very sure about what you want to achieve by fitting your new hot water system. If you know why you are upgrading you will be satisfied with the outcome. Maybe you already have gas, then no doubt you have made the choice to use gas. If you have an electric cylinder now, then maybe you haven’t even got this far, but this must be the point at which you start your decision making process. For a more detailed blog on choosing the right hot water system for you – CLICK HERE But this blog is specifically on Rheem Stellar verses Rheem Continous Flow THE BENEFITS OF A RHEEM STELLAR If you already have a Vulcan Freeloader – the Rheem Stellar is a direct replacement (designed specifically to replace old Vulcan Freeloaders) The Rheem Stellar goes outside – not taking up any room in your home They are mains (high) pressure They deliver plenty of water for your big overhead shower or rain-head If you have multiple bathrooms and showers this system will deliver up to 40 liters per minute (truck loads of water) The Rheem Stellar does not require power for ignition of burner (hot water even when there is a power cut) THE NEGATIVES OR CONS OF A RHEEM STELLAR If only a couple of people live in the home, you’re wasting a lot of energy heating a large storage cylinder of hot water for nothing They are started and controlled by a pilot light – meaning that should the pilot go out, they can be temperamental to re-start These are large units and take up a big space on the outside of house (only a problem if its in an access way or similar) Also a little hungry on gas consumption They do not provide endless hot water for the family who all shower at the same time of day When you go on holiday, or are at work, they’e still using lots of gas They are not available for use on LPG MY OPINION OF THE RHEEM STELLAR Based on my personal opinion – with 25 years of experience as a plumber, and having had one in my last home, I highly recommend the Rheem Stellar. We upgraded to the Stellar after we found our heat pump hot water cylinder just couldn’t deliver enough hot water for a family. In a nut shell, when you are replacing a hot water system of any kind (a retrofit situation) the plumbing of the house will always be best designed to fit the new hot water system back in the same place as where the old one was. Therefore because I had a cylinder on the outside of house, miles away from the kitchen, and because I had a plumbing system with a circulation ring main – circulating hot water through the house continuously, the Rheem Stellar was the best choice for me. Also as we had 7 living in the house – so we needed lots of water, and we used lots of hot water, so were able to take advantage of the large storage capacity. THE BENEFITS OF A RHEEM INTEGRITY OR CONTINUOUS FLOW GAS HOT WATER HEATER The unit goes outside – not taking up any room in your home Only a small compact box – visually more appealing than a large cylinder outside They are mains (high) pressure Super efficient (especially on natural gas) They work great on both natural gas and LPG When you are at work or away on holiday, you are wasting no gas or energy at all They are electronic ignition, incredibly reliable You will never run out of hot water again (endless delivery of hot water) THE NEGATIVES OR CONS OF A RHEEM CONTINUOUS FLOW GAS HOT WATER HEATER They require power for ignition (if there was a power cut you would have no hot water) They are only able to deliver as much hot water as the unit notes. A Rheem 27 will only deliver 27 liters per minute at optimal conditions The delay or lag of hot water to each tap can be frustrating They are fitted on the exterior of building, often not in an optimal space or location The water only heats as it passes through heater so capacity or output is restricted if water is very cold coming into unit MY OPINION ON THE RHEEM CONTINUOUS FLOW GAS HOT WATER HEATERS These are by far the most popular system being installed in Auckland NZ today. Why? because they are so usable, and in most cases the most efficient. The pro’s for most people out weigh the cons. As many homes, buildings in Auckland now have reducing numbers of people in them, they adjust perfectly well. Many homes that were once family homes with large electric storage hot water cylinders are now being converted to Rheem Continuous Flow, primarily for the reason that only mum and dad live there now, the kids have all gone, and they don’t need all that hot water. However come holidays, the kids pile back home, along with all their kids and you suddenly need a stack of hot water. Well you have it, endless hot water. Then when they leave again, you are back to your super efficient system on the wall heating […]
Jan
Are you just over running out of hot water, every time you wish to take a shower? Have you heard all the hype about the continuous flow gas hot water heater? If you want to never run out of hot water again – this is what you need. TREAT YOURSELF TO AN ENDLESS GAS HOT WATER HEATER Maybe you have heard lots about the Rinnai Infinity, the Rheem Integrity, and the Bosch units. Maybe you have not and want to find out more about these has hot water heaters. Hopefully this blog will help you, in your search of finding a solution to endless hot water. WHAT ACTUALLY IS A CONTINUOUS FLOW GAS HOT WATER HEATER? A continuous flow gas hot water heater, works similarly to other water heaters with one exception – there is no large storage tank. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. The gas burner heats the water. As a result, the gas hot water heater will deliver a constant supply of hot water. You don’t need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough hot water. The only downfall for most people is that the continuous flow gas hot water heater has a limited flow rate, meaning that in some situations you can get fluctuations when multiple hot taps are used at one time. It is not the end of the world, but can be frustrating if you were never informed about it prior to making the decision to get a new Gas Hot Water Heater fitted in your home. Also as they are normally fitted on the exterior of the house, if you have a long run of pipe to a particular tap, you can experience significant delays waiting for hot water each time you use the tap. Be sure to put the unit as close to the kitchen as possible for a most satisfactory results. The kitchen you use multiple times a day, so a big delay can be awful. Fitting multiple units can overcome the lag of hot water and fluctuations to certain fixtures, or taps along way from the gas hot water heater itself, however every home is different and it pays to talk to an expert for getting the right location for installation. When looking at installing or replacing your old hot water cylinder, a continuous flow gas hot water heater is a great option to consider. WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE A GAS HOT WATER HEATER? Are they as good as people say they are? Based on our findings of over 20 years of installing Gas Hot Water Heaters at Regency Plumbing – these are the real benefits. Endless hot water Strong hot showers Increased water pressure Free up space in your home Efficient hot water heating WOULD I RECOMMEND YOU INSTALL A GAS HOT WATER HEATER? For sure I would. In most cases they are fantastic. There are a couple of types of installations where I would not recommend them, but there are many I would. When you consider family homes, the baby boomers big homes that just have 2 people in them. They are using only a fraction of the hot water they once used. Of course they are great for them. When you are home you have hot water, but when you are at work, or on holiday they are using no energy at all. But come the long weekend and 10 people turn up for a family catch up, there is endless hot water for everyone. WHAT A CUSTOMER SAID ABOUT HER NEW GAS HOT WATER HEATER We fitted a new gas hot water heater for Kavita in Botany and this is what she had to say, actually it was a Rheem continuous flow gas hot water heater… “The special offers at the home show in addition to the information on benefits of gas water heating prompted us to use Regency plumbing. They installed gas water heating and gas hob connection in our home with a large complex layout. Quote was given by the end of day and within 3 working days, appointment booked and a job well done. The team at Regency were friendly and completed the job efficiently and to a very high standard. Our low pressure trickling showers have transformed to water blasters! Thank you Regency.” Kavita, Botany Downs This was yet another Gas Hot Water Heater Installed in Auckland Gas Hot Water Heater Installed in Auckland – Get yours today CLICK HERE for our latest Special Offers If you want to find out more about getting a Gas Hot Water Heater installed in your home – call our office today. CALL OUR FRIENDLY TEAM ON 0800 PLUMBER | 0800 758 623 WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU!
