Gas hot water systems can be a great option for homeowners looking for an efficient and convenient way to heat their water. One major benefit of a gas hot water system is that it provides instant hot water on demand, so you do not have to wait for a tank to fill up and heat the water.
This can save you time and make your daily routine more efficient. In addition to providing the best instant hot water, gas systems can be more cost-effective overall, as they often use less energy to heat water than electric systems. Finally, gas hot water systems can be a space-saving option, as they do not require a large storage tank to take up lots of room in or outside your house.

There are so many options, which one is right for me?

Choosing the right gas infinity unit for your house is important because getting the wrong size or type of unit can be costly. If you choose a unit that is too small, it may not be able to meet the hot water demand of your household, leading to a lack of hot water or low water pressure.
On the other hand, if you choose a unit that is too large, it may cost more to purchase and operate than necessary, resulting in higher energy bills. Therefore, it is important to accurately assess the hot water needs of your household and select a unit that is most appropriately sized for those needs.

For one-bathroom homes:

The Rheem 16L gas califont unit is a compact and efficient choice for providing hot water in a small home or apartment. It is designed to support up to two people and is ideal for a single-bathroom home. With its 16-liter capacity, it can provide enough hot water for basic household needs such as showering and washing dishes but may not be able to support more demanding hot water usage such as running multiple showers or a bath simultaneously.
The Rheem 16L gas califont unit is an excellent choice for a holiday home because it is the perfect option for an as-needed basis. This means that it will not use any gas while you are away, saving you money on energy costs. When you return to your holiday home and need hot water, the unit will be ready to use, and you will not have to wait for the water to heat up.
This can be especially convenient if you have a small holiday home with a single bathroom and limited hot water needs. Overall, the Rheem 16L gas califont unit is a practical and cost-effective choice for a holiday home.

For two-bathroom homes:

The Thermann 26L gas califont unit is a larger and more powerful unit than the Rheem 16L, making it capable of supporting the hot water needs of a household with up to two bathrooms. Its 26-liter capacity allows it to manage a higher demand for hot water, making it an excellent choice for families or households with multiple people who need to use hot water simultaneously, such as for showers or baths.
This unit is designed to take the load of a heavier-use household and can deliver hot water quickly and efficiently. If you have a larger home with more than one bathroom, the Thermann 26L gas califont unit may be a suitable option for meeting your hot water needs.

For three-bathroom homes:

The Rinnai HD250 gas califont unit is the largest residential unit available on the market, making it capable of supporting the hot water needs of a household with up to three bathrooms. Its impressive 37L/minute capacity allows it to manage the extremely high demand for hot water, making it a desirable choice for large families or households with multiple people who need to use hot water simultaneously for showers, baths, and other activities.
This unit is designed to take the load of a very high-demand household and can deliver hot water quickly and efficiently, even under heavy usage. If you have a large home with multiple bathrooms and a high demand for hot water, the Rinnai HD250 gas califont unit may be the best choice for meeting your needs.

Costs to install and operate

When it comes to installing and operating a gas califont unit, the size and capacity of the unit will play a significant role in determining the costs involved. In general, the smaller the unit, the less it will cost to install califont and operate. On the other hand, the larger the unit, the more it will cost to install and operate. This is mainly because the larger units have more components internally involved hence the initial price to purchase and the larger units will consume more and will therefore need larger gas pipes to be installed to suffice this.
For example, the Rheem 16L gas califont unit, with its smaller capacity, will be the most affordable option to install and operate among the three units mentioned. On the other hand, the Rinnai HD250 gas califont unit, with its larger capacity and higher demand for gas, will be the most expensive option to install and operate. Therefore, it is important to choose the right unit for your situation, considering your hot water needs and budget.
To conclude, whether you’re looking to upgrade from low pressure or you’re looking at switching out your electric hot water cylinder because it’s not outputting enough hot water, give Hot Water Cylinders NZ a call and discover how you can reap the hot water benefits!

This is no coincidence. How can bad weather damage your instant gas water heater?

Two days of bad weather and this is the result!

Five units in just two days since tropical storm hits Auckland!

As the week went on, more and more instant water heaters have becomes victims to the weather.

Today we will be addressing why this happens and what you can do to safeguard your valued hot water appliance.

INSTALLATION SAFEGUARDS

It is needless to say that you require a registered plumbers and gasfitters to install a gas powered instantaneous water heater.

A Gasfitter will strictly follow appliance location as per standard AS/NZS 5601. Within you will find restrictions as where an external water heater can be located safely and compliantly.

Unfortunately despite having met compliance and safety the installer should take various other factors into consideration such as:

1. High wind zones
2. Exposure to environmental effects such as the sea where salt is carried by the breeze. It is a known fact that steel corrodes much faster in such environment.

POTENTIAL DAMAGE

First of all, we don’t want to worry any of our readers in case you do have an external water heater affected by one of the above scenarios. This information is more of an FYI and has become more relevant to the changes in our weather patterns over the last few year, especially given the high number of replacements that have taken place recently. We believe that installers should be slightly more cautious upon deciding where they will install an external instant water heater.

Whilst the appliances are I.P (Ingress protection rating) rated at IPX-5 (Protected against low pressure water stream from any angle) if positioned in a high wind zone, moisture may still find its way into areas that that includes electronics or if close to the ocean highly corrosion will create more risk especially if water finds its way into the flu which is made of very vulnerable metals. As you can see in the images above corrosion has been the main factor for the IP rating to fail which has led to the units EOL.

Further, in some instances and especially with gas powered hot water cylinders such as the Rheem Stellar high wind zones will cause ignition problems if the pilot light is affected.

TAKING PRECAUTIONS

So what can you do to safe guard your gas instantaneous water heater?

Once you have worked out where the unit is to be located, ensure it’s not a high wind zone. You can do this by using basic tools and in most cases common sense by evaluating the environment.

If there is a concern of high winds or high corrosion risk, then we recommend the unit is installed within a complaint box. This can be bespoke or something like the following example:

https://rinnai.co.nz/accessories/rinnai-infinity-metal-recess-box

The added benefit you will have is theft protection!

Whatever solution you find, your main objective is to ensure the installation is done by a registered tradesman and is fully compliant and safe. Hot Water Cylinders NZ has experience in both.

Give us a ring if you are after any solutions to safeguard your appliance.

Are you looking for the most efficient way to heat water? Are you struggling to choose between a gas or electric water heater? You’re not alone! Thousands of Kiwis share the same sentiment. Recognizing this problem, we thought of preparing a quick guide to discuss your options and the pros and cons of each type of water heating setup. Hopefully, by going through our discussion below, you can identify the best option for your property.

Gas vs. Electric Water Heaters

The debate between using a gas or electric water heater has been around for years. That’s because both options present varying benefits to potential users. If you’re not sure which of the two you should pick, here are the key factors you should consider when you go shopping:

• Accessibility – This refers to the ease of using the water heater.
• Size – When shopping for a water heating system, make sure you take into consideration the size of the tank. This way, you can increase you heating system’s efficiency and avoid producing too much or too little hot water for your home.
• Efficiency – This aspect specifically looks into how well a water heating system operates and how much energy it uses to do the job.
• Maintenance requirements – Needless to say, choosing a water heating system that requires little to no maintenance is the best choice.
• Installation – The installation of both types of water heating options are straightforward. However, you may need to consider a few complications when switching from one system to another. Be sure to consider this aspect when choosing a new type of water heater.

Operational Cost: What’s The Cheapest Option to Heat Water?

Now that you know the basic factors to consider when choosing between an electric and gas heater, let’s deep dive into the operational costs involved. As you might already know, most homeowners base their decisions on the cost of running a water heater, simply because the expenses tend to add up to the monthly budget of families. In fact, water heating costs accounts for up to 30 percent of a household’s monthly electricity bill.

To help you choose between the two, here’s a breakdown of their average operational costs:

• Gas Heater – Gas-powered water heaters come in two options. Between the two, most people opt for the gas continuous flow because of its high efficiency. On average, it costs between NZD 750 to 950 per year to run this type of heater for an small household if you have a natural gas connection. You may also use an LPG tank and pay around $850 a year. You can even reduced the costs if you have gas supply for other heating purposes.
• Electric Heater – Electric water heater installation costs are almost equal to gas water heaters. However, the running costs have a bit of difference. Notably, an average Kiwi household with three people spends about NZD 1000 a year to run an electric water heater. The cost may also fluctuate depending on the electricity rates and night tariff.

Gas Water Heating Remains the Cheapest Choice

Want to learn more about how gas-powered water heaters work? Would you like to install a gas water heating system in your home? Contact Water Heater Brokers at 0800 692 672 so we can help you figure out which type of gas water heater you should use and schedule your water heating system installation.