Water Heater Booster
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- You can add a water heater booster to increase the performance of your electric or gas storage tank water heater. It virtually increases the size of your water heater.
It's very affordable and effective.
They work well. Much less expensive to operate than a thermostatic mixing valve
Can you use a gas tankless water heater as a booster, i.e., size the electric tank water heater to serve a low/medium level demand and use the gas tankless to boost output during exceptional demand? Would need some sort of aquastat valve to activate/deactivate the tankless water heater ... tank temp set to 120, aquastat low limit set to 115??? Seems like this option would use the least amount of electricity for the standing hot water water while avoiding all the normal issues with tankless water heaters. Could conceivably more than double the output of hot water.
you can do what you are suggesting but if you have gas why not just use 1 gas water heater since the gas heater is more powerful and much more expensive
I have 4 bedroom/ 4.5 bath house. Usually only 2 occupants but need ability to supply additional hot water when hosting friends and family. I have solar panels -- hence the use of electric water heater --- but I do not want to dedicated excess electricity to one large water heater since there would be substantial standby loss.
Tankless electric for 4.5 bathrooms will have to be large and definitely use a lot of power
@@jimwilcox946 Since Miami wont answer your question and doesnt know how the product works I will take a minute to help... The booster kicks on when water flows on the hot water side somewhere between .25 to.7gpm at that time it will boost the temp of the water (how much i dont know because the specs sheets from Rheem dont show) lets say it has a set temp 100-140F (similar to the max of tankless units) to hit just above the 120F standard tank preset temp. This initial temp, ramp speed, and a few other things like eco mode, vacation or other things are all in the info at Rheem. So the unit boosts the temp from the main tanks 120F to 140F allowing the shower or faucet more heat on the hit but need of modulating the faucet... some would say this can scold children or soft peaches lose there skins. This makes the main hot water tank last longer in the duration of the shower or tub filling it holds its temp long. The boost adds to the tanks size by way of it ramps its amperage output as the tanks outlet temp falls so it takes over a bit more and more till the booster is at max 30amp draw and the main tank is spent. It isnt going to add any water after that main tank is saturated with cold water but ti will stretch the tank from the hit right till both are overwhelmed and cannot put out anymore. This unit is neat for people wanting to be more efficient with a small tank and not be dependent on a tankless set up. For instance, if you think you can get by with a 20-30gallon tank which some smaller tanks have dual 240v 4500watt elements this booster would possibly make a these small tanks near endless since the recover is faster for them but that depends greatly on inlet temps. SO this efficiency person saves from the losses of the larger tanks and has a sort of hybrid system with back up storage and many options. They could go main tank at 100degrees and it wouldnt lose much BTU's while not in use making it more efficient but not extending the back side if main tank is depleted. Then there is your where your kind of looking for recovery after depletion or extending the tanks capacity. For you if your not concerned to much you could turn your current tank up to 130-140F making it last a bit longer if it is modulated at point of use by the user. This unit works for you as well by way of adding 7,000 watts (you do have to run new electric for it) water heating capacity for the duration the hot tap is on this means that since on and off quicky will short cycle the heat elements i dont think it will harm them but is something to consider. The unit would really favor scenario 1 rather than your need but it will perform for both. The short 30 gallon tanks with dual full size elements already act like a 40gallon when considering recover rate, and the shorter profile has less surface area to bleed BTU's from in thermal loss i have read that short tanks can be a much as 40% more efficient gallon per gallon compared to larger tanks. No matter how you slice that these are electric resistive so they can only max at (.99-1.00) UEF or 100% efficient or COP of 1 versus a heat pump getting COP of 2-5. The magic of the booster or short tank is simply less thermal losses over time or less total hot water consumption. Booster heats water when you need it like the tankless ones do... It is possible another manufacturer like AO smith has or will have a gas unit that works like this boost but Rheem doesnt have one. Like Miami said you have the option to convert to gas which is most times more efficient dollar per dollar than tanked electric but if available NG gas on demand will beat electric most anywhere in the US where NG is available. All of that said all these on demand units are plagued with issues of failing due to build up inside the units pipes/chambers and electronic failures. I learn towards redundancy myself so having a tank that is electromechanical i can work on or replace and the bonus efficiency of a booster would be preferable. If the booster fails you have hot water still and depending on inlet temperature if the tank elements/electric failed you might still have warm water from the booster if the tap is set to flow above .25gpm but below 1.25gpm (numbers based on other tankless units at 7300watts). the RTEX-08 tank less unit can heat 65F inlet water to 120F if limited to a 1gpm flow and i would venture to guess they didnt make all new guts for the 7500watt booster we are discussing. Couldnt shower with that flow but sinks and the bunghole sprayer on your toilet would work. A 4 bed 4.5 bath is a bit much for 2 people maybe it is time to move to a nice open floor plan home with big space but only 1.5bath and maybe a bonus shower and utility sink in the garage if your in the south. I can get 20 rednecks around a 10 foot fire and not one will need more than 1 guest bathroom and i wont need sprinklers for my bushes.
You don’t have to use our system. But we don’t sell that type of system because that is just a glorified mixing valve. Instead of that just set your water heater temperature at 140 and put a pipe, with a valve to control the flow, from the cold water line to the hot water line. That is a cheaper solution and works the same way.
the booster has some added benefits, max temp, away mode, vacation mode, freeze protect, that make it a little more attractive than a normal mixing valve. It's more expensive though.
They make a commercial 80 gal water heater and you have to switch 1 single wire.
Yes but it’s more expensive than a 50 gallon and a booster. Also if the heater is not working properly you still can get warm water from the booster
Can I add this to the hot line going into the master bath shower. If so, any special check value to stop back fee needed?
this is really made to be installed on top of the water heater and work in connection with the water heater. i would recommend using an RTEX06 instead and installing close to the shower area. another option, so long as there are no young children in the house, is to turn temperature in the water heater up.
@@miamiwaterheater2281 - 2 constrains, young kid & only 1 breaker open so I need the 120V 30 amp.
But the wife wants the water hotter in the shower, was thinking it could boost the temp on the hot line to just the shower?
Would that work or cause an issue
How does this run on a single 30a 240 circuit shared with the larger heater? 7kw for the booster and 5kw?
the booster and water herater are connected to each other so they don't run at the same time
@@miamiwaterheater2281Can I pipe in a bypass so I can turn this unit off during the summer? I only need it during the winter where there is limited heat in my garage. thanks!
yes but make sure you turn off the power when you bypass the unit or you will burn the element
So i need to add a breaker and run a separate electrical line for the booster? Seems like i should just add another water heater tank
You just need to upgrade your breaker to 30 amp that it and in most cases a second tank won't fit where you are putting it
@@miamiwaterheater2281 gotcha! I just went with the 75 Gallon marathon....There wasn’t much difference between a 50 gallon marathon and the 75 or 85. I wish they made those hybrids with a plastic tank
only problem with marathon is the price and the wait to get it but you are right the marathon is a good alternative if price and time are not a factor
@@miamiwaterheater2281 you are right!!! Makes no sense for that water heater to be $1000+. But what can you do? Spend $700 for steel tank 50 Gallon that will only last 8-10 years... then spend another $850 for the same water heater after that goes out? Lol
@@spkendrick I JUST installed one of these boosters on one of my 80-gallon tanks. I wanted to go full tankless, but the amount of power that's needed is insane. This seemed like a better idea, where you use the same 30-amp circuit. Can't wait to try it out! :)
Could I just run two of the boosters in series one heating the incoming water up enough for the second one to heat it up to full shower temperature?
No they don’t have enough power to get the temperature you need
Where u connect electrical wire in a gas water heater ??
Or this booster only for electrical water heater
only for electric