Some pretty interesting things often come out when you drain a water tank. I once had a customer compare it to the ectoplasm in “Ghost Busters”. I have to agree; it was green and slimy and maybe not dangerous, but certainly not what I would want to shower in. Our family doctor gave me the idea that water tanks can be a health hazard. He said that the sediment can attract some pretty interesting microorganisms, since stagnant water at 100-120 degrees is a darn good science experiment. More than one of my customers has put that at the top of their list for reasons to go tankless. In fact, one of them became deathly ill with a bacterial infection after returning from vacation and taking a shower. Her doctor traced it to the water tank that had been sitting hot long enough to have burned off the chlorine and breed bacteria while she was gone and she ingested it. I am sure this was an extreme case, but not totally out of the ordinary. Tankless systems will not develop sediment, and since they are not kept warm all the time, are less likely to breed bacteria.

Showing posts with label green building. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green building. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
It's a Tankless Job, but Everybody's Gotta Do It
Ever wonder what it would cost to leave your car running in your garage all night long, just so it would be warm when you got up to go to work? Or to leave your heat at 75 degrees while you were on vacation, just so the house would be warm when you get home? What about turning all the lights on in your house all day long while you are at work, just so you wouldn’t have to turn them on when you get home? I think you get the point. Tremendous and useless wastes of energy, right?
Well, these are not too far off what it’s like to have a water tank in your basement churning away all day long while nobody is there to use that water, and all night long while you are asleep. The energy being generated by your water heater (at miserable 60% efficiency) is lost through the jacket and chimney, along with the natural cooling of the water. We call these “standby losses” and they are excessive and unnecessary.
Tankless water heaters are a more efficient way to heat water. Tankless heats water quickly and delivers an endless supply of hot water for as long as you need it. With tankless, you only pay to heat water when you need it and for as long as you want it. Tankless is also the perfect backup system for solar thermal, as they only expend energy when it is needed - and only enough energy needed to reach the desired water temperature.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
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