Let’s take a brief look at the T-K Jr. the smallest water heater in the Takagi line of tankless water heaters.

According to Takagi, it can meet the hot-water needs of a small home or apartment with one or two bathrooms, as well as small commercial applications.

Takagi claims it was designed to do anything a standard 40-gallon tank-type water heater can do. The T-K Jr. works with both hydronic baseboard and radiant floor heating. It has an energy efficiency rating of .81 when burning natural gas and can provide 3.8 gallons per minute with a 60 degree temperature rise. The maximum input is 140,000 Btu. (more…)

So it’s that time of the year again, the nights are getting darker, and the weather has turned cold and miserable.

As it’s getting colder and colder it’s just your luck that your boiler starts playing up and finally stops working completely.

You call your local plumber out to try and fix the old beast, but after he tinkers under her case you both decide that it is time for a completely new unit. (more…)

Many homeowners have become increasingly attracted to having wetroom floors and non-enclosed showers in their homes. This growing surge has baffled many industry experts who are wandering why trays and enclosures were even invented in the first place.

The importance of draining shower water is very important and should not be underestimated. This is especially the case since the introduction of power showers and shower heads. Some homeowners prefer the style of a wetroom. If this is the case, then it is advisable for tanking to be installed to prevent water seeping through the floors to the ceilings below. The trays can then be inset to sit level with floor surfaces. (more…)

Some water heaters are more energy efficient than others, but not by much. Some water heaters are inherently green, like solar water heaters. But by adding a pump any water heater can be made greener, including storage tank, tankless, solar, boiler, gas, and electric.

Tankless Hot Water

Usually it’s the tankless people that proclaim their water heaters as being green, due to the fact that they use less energy than tank type water heaters. The reason of course, is they don’t have a big hot water tank losing energy 24 hours a day. This results in a 15 to 20 percent reduction in energy consumption according to most of the tankless water heater websites. (more…)

Hot Water Recirculation System – A Cure for Slow Hot Water?

Today I stumbled on a website with a hot water recirculation system that I had never heard of before, the Astro Express System, manufactured by Armstrong. It looks very similar to the Grundfos Comfort system. These systems are touted for solving your slow hot water problem.

This hot water circulating system places a typical recirculation pump such as those manufactured by Taco and Grunfos at the outlet of the water heater so that it pumps hot water out of the heater and into the hot water pipe. (more…)

Instant Hot Water Will Save You Water and Money!

Now that you’ve heated your water for free from the sun, it’s time to address the hot water delivery system. Stop standing there with your hand in the shower stream waiting for the water to get hot! Sending water down the drain while you wait just makes it that much worse. But there is a solution!

Demand Hot Water Pumps Save Water

A demand system pumps the hot water from your water heater to your fixture at fast without running any water down the drain. When hot water reaches the pump, it shuts off. (more…)

Hot Water Conservation Is Harder Than Cold Water Conservation

Water conservation products for cold water conservation are prolific. There are low flow fixtures; actually these are now mandatory in most areas, low flow shower heads, water conserving appliances, low flow toilets and other flow restricting devices.

There are also things like dual-flush toilets, toilet dams, drip irrigation systems, and all sorts of other water conservation products.

A lot of these conservation devices do not really provide conservation for those individuals who are already practicing good water habits. For instance, low flow kitchen faucets only save water when someone leaves the water running based on time. (more…)