Stiebel Eltron Tempra Tankless Water Heaters

Stiebel Eltron is a manufacturer of several popular tankless hot water heater models. While some manufactures focus on just whole house water heaters, Stiebel Eltron makes a full line of models that can find several uses in your home.

Stiebel Eltron has several makes and models, all under the Tempra series name. Since Stiebel Eltron doesn't really roll of the tongue, its probably a good idea that they market tankless water heaters under the Tempra name. All of these models are controlled with a thermostat, and they certainly can be described as advanced machinery in the world of tankless water heaters.

One nice feature with the Stiebel Eltron tankless water heater is that the heater is designed to monitory the temperature of the water that is coming in to the unit. The customers requested flow rate is then converted by the heating element built in on the water heater to heat the water to whatever temperature you request. This temperature setting can always be changed by the user to meet their own specific needs.

Some of the other advantages of a Stiebel Eltron Tempra model include on-demand hot water, it will never run out, no matter how many people need to use the bath or shower. Since there is not the need to constantly reheat water in a tank, your water heating costs are reduced by as much as 50%. The Tempra's sleek and compact design saves space over a tank heater. Tankless heaters are also less likely to leak, crack, or rupture. Because the maximum temperature can be regulated, the risk of scalding injuries to children can also be reduced substantially.

Stiebel Tempra tankless heaters also maintain their efficiency throughout the service life of the heater, while tank heaters continue to lose efficiency as the years go by. Tempra water heaters are also more resistant do different water problems like sediment, mineral, and hard water issues. Finally, tankless heaters like these have a longer service life, often between 15 and 20 years.

As mention, several Tempra models are available to fill almost any need. Both of point-of-use and complete home residential tankless heaters are available. Heaters designed for commercial use are also available. Top of the line, heavy duty Tempra series water heaters can put out quite a bit of hot water. According to the company, these units can produce up to 7 gallons per minute (GPM) of hot water, depending on the incoming water temperature. Warm climates have an advantage over colder areas of the country, as the water is much warmer as it enters the house.

Even in cold climates, you should be able to get 3-4 gallons per minute of hot water during the winter. Stiebel Eltron Tempra heaters thus provide hot water on-demand, and also offer energy savings of between 30 to 50% when compared side-by-side with a regular tank water heaters.

If your worried about the company's reputation, don't be. These are recognized as superior electric tankless water heaters. Stiebel Eltron tankless water heaters have a full warranty as well at technical support. The company has been in business since 1924 and has more than 2,200 employees worldwide.

One additional point is that the company only makes electrical tankless water heaters, no natural gas or propane models here. While the monthly operating cost may be more with an electrical model, they generally cost less up front, and installation is easier to accomplish. No special venting requirements exist with a Stiebel Eltron tankless water heater.

Titan Tankless Water Heaters

Titan tankless water heaters are designed to offer an unlimited and continuous flow of hot water. What can Titan hot water heaters provide that you won't find with a traditional water heater?

Titan was founded in 1986, and has been building quality tankless water heaters since then. Water heaters built by the company can be found in homes, hotels, and apartments across the country. Titan is an American business, and they manufacture and sell their units in the United States.

According to the company, Titan tankless water heater systems can save your family up to 60% on your monthly water heating cost. That’s because the unit only operates when hot water is needed. These demand or instant hot water systems are gaining popularity because they can provide and endless supply of hot water. Conversely, traditional tank-based water systems continually have to operate in order to keep the water hot.

Titan makes electrical tankless water heaters. Installation of a Titan system is fairly simple, and you do not have to worry about venting issues, as with a natural gas tankless heater. However, a professional installation is still recommended by the manufacturer, as then there will not be any issues to worry about down the line.

Titan has a full line-up of tankless water heater models. What they don’t make on their own they resell from other manufacturers. Their higher end models come from the Stiebel Eltron Tempra series. The Stiebel-Eltron Tempra series has numbers titling the tankless heaters, starting at 36 and going down to 12. For example, the Tempra 36 is the high end model, providing the most juice. It can power between 2-3 hot water applications in your house at the same time.

Titan’s own series of tankless water heaters start with the SCR4 at the high end, then move down to the SRC3 and SRC2 series. These affordable heaters start at $250 and go up to the high $400 range. These work well in warm climates, where the water doesn’t have to be heated up from a very cold temperature, and where the end-user can get by with just 1 or 2 hot water applications being used at the same time. Best of all, the cost about the same as a traditional water heater and take up less space.

Finally, Titan makes a Mini Series of tankless water heaters. These are designed to be used right at the source, just install in-line near a sink or shower for use at that location only. Priced in the mid $100 range, these do the trick in those special situations. Overall, I recommend Titan as one of the top tankless water heater manufacturers.

Home Tankless Hot Water Heaters

Are you considering a home tankless hot water heater? Today there are many choices and options if you want to make this type of upgrade in your home.

While a business definitely has to consider usage factors, home users may have a little more flexibility. If you have only one or two home users, smaller point of use or an electric tankless home heater may do the trick for you. With three or more users, a little additional research should be done up front to make sure your new tankless water heater has enough juice to keep up with family demands.

So how do you go about sizing a home tankless water heater. Well to do that we have to get into BTU and GPM discussions. Yes I know you don’t really want to get into the math, but a little math now makes the family happy later. BTU or British thermal unit has to do with power inputs and energy efficiency. These combine to hopefully give you the proper flow rate information.

Flow rate is what you really need, and is expressed at gallons per minute, or GPM. Home tankless hot water heaters will usually deliver between 1.2 and 6 gallons per minute of hot water. How much water is that?

Small point of use water heaters are used for just a bathroom sink or maybe two are in the low range here. Typically, you won’t need more that 2 gallons of hot water at a time so that is where something that is rated 1.2 GPM will work out okay.

Mid-range home tankless hot water heaters are in the 2.6 to 4 gallons per minute range. This range is probably where 75 percent of US homes will be able to find an acceptable tankless water heater option. At the low end, you can usually run one application at a time, such as a shower or a dish washer. At the 4 GPM rate, you will generally be able to use two hot water applications at the same time.

Finally, we come to the Big Boys when we are talking home tankless water heaters. Those rated in the 6 gallons or per minute range fall into this category. A six gallon heater can handle two showers at a time, while something in the area of 8-9 gallons per minute can handle three hot water applications at the same time.

So think about how your family uses the various applications, then check with a local dealer to find the best home tankless hot water heater for you.

Electric Tankless Water Heaters

When considering a tankless water heater for your home, there are two specific choices: electric or gas. What can an electric tankless heater offer?

Electric tankless water heaters are generally cheaper than their gas counterparts. Whole house electric heaters can start as low as $500 and move up to the $1000 dollar range. This compares to gas heaters which generally start at $1,000 minimum and go up from there. So which is better for you?

The answer to that question really depends on several factors. Your hot water needs really are what determine what will work out best. While manufacturers of electrical hot water heaters claim their performance is fairly close to gas heaters, gas manufacturers have valid arguments for going down that path. A qualified dealer can run cost comparisons for you to determine if gas or electricity will work out best.

There are several advantages of an electric tankless water heater include the previously mentioned lower initial price tag. Saving $500 or more over a gas tankless heater is what most consumers consider first. Another advantage is the lower initial installation cost. Because electrical tankless water heaters are about one-third the size of a gas heater, there is often more flexibility on where it can be installed.

There are not any venting issues with an electric heater, thus they can be placed under sinks, in closets, or in crawl spaces where a full sized water heater could never be used. Of course they can also be placed wherever your old water heater was.

If you are considering a whole house electrical water heater, you may have to have an electrical upgrade wherever the heater is installed. This is because these are very high power electrical appliances, like your dryer. Thus a 200 AMP, 208 to 240 volt electrical service outlet is needed. If you live in a warm climate like Florida, you may be able to get away with a lower demand heater, and use a 100 or 125 AMP electrical service.

What will your monthly cost be with an electric water heater? While you will save over a traditional water heater, you probably won’t save as much as having a gas tankless water heater. Then again, natural gas and propane rates continue to rise, bringing the energy costs of electric and gas tankless heaters close together.

What about water use? Can a tankless electric keep up with its gas counterpart? In most cases, yes. Whole house heaters can produce between 3-8 gallons per minute of hot water. Why such a wide variance? It depends on the incoming water temperature. For example, the incoming water temperature in Arizona is much different than the incoming temperature in Minnesota during January. In cold climates it is going to be closer to three gallons a minute.

How about gas tankless water heaters? Next time we will consider the advantages of gas over electric tankless water heaters.