Homeowners have two basic options for installing an electric tankless water heater: Whole-House type installation and End point of use type installation.
Whole-Home Installation
The whole-house installation represents a situation where low cost water heaters provide water for an entire dwelling. An installation of this type is similar to the commonly found typical tank heater. Actually, a common practice in retrofit or home improvement situation is to disconnect the current water heater and install the tankless heater in the same location as the tank heater.
A pitfall to electric tankless heaters for water is undeniably limited by the capability of the house's ability to provide ample amount of power to properly operate the unit. Most homes in the United States typically have an ability to provide electricity in the range of 100 amps to about 150 amps. Where as older homes seem to only be able to muster 100 amps and sometimes less.
Given this limiting factor, installing electric heaters for water in retrofitting or home improvement projects will often command an transformation in the homeowner's electrical system to about 200 amps or more depending on the capability of the component being used. Most homes are still limited to an electric tankless heater with a maximum hot water flow of 3 GPM due to the large power draw of the unit, even with the enhancement.
Because of this, gas tankless water heaters tend to be more appropriate for whole-home installations over electric tankless water heaters because gas tankless units can provide larger GPM than electric tankless models.
End Point-of-Use Installation
An end point-of-use installation for tankless water heaters is sometimes referred to as "instant" "instantaneous" or even "on demand" because the faucet receives hot water almost instantaneously after the fixture is activated. The tankless water heater is placed at the end point of use, like under the kitchen sink or in a bathroom. The proximity to the faucet almost eliminates waiting for hot water to arrive at the faucet, and also decreases heat loss that can occur if the hot water pipes are not insulated. End point of use connections in residential settings seem to favor electric units because of the smaller physical sizes allow them to fit into small spaces like cabinets under a sink. Not to mention, electric tankless units do not require combustion air or an exhaust vent, and can be placed practically anywhere in the home. A homeowner that choosing to install a tankless water heater as a point of use may have several small units located at specific locations throughout the house. However, the total number of units that can be installed is still limited by the homeowner's electrical system's capability to provide a sufficient source of energy.
By Darrin K Smith
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7130365
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