Electric water heaters: reviews, features and price. Which electric water heater should I choose?

Regular hot water supply is a real headache for many of our compatriots. Deterioration of networks and frequent repairs lead to the fact that even in the middle of winter you can stay without hot water.

That is why electric water heaters are very popular. Reviews about them are very diverse, and therefore we decided to analyze the most common, having made the final conclusions about the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of equipment.

Principle of operation

Judging by the reviews, fans of "protochnikov" are especially impressed by their ability to instantly heat water. I came home, plugged the plug into the outlet ... and you can immediately wash or wash dishes! Agree, the cumulative models in this plan are much more complicated.

The fact is that in such heaters a powerful heater is installed, which can immediately heat the water passing through it, even under the condition of decent pressure (in theory).

Among other things, flow-type devices consume a relatively small amount of electricity, since strictly required time is in operation. If we talk about accumulative varieties, they spend a lot of energy on maintaining the preset water temperature.

Other remarks

In general, the power range of the "protractors" ranges from 5 to 27 kW. Reviews show that for showering and dishwashing most often the device is enough for a "modest" 8 kW. Such an electric water heater, the price of which starts from 2-3 thousand rubles, is available to almost everyone. That's only if you intend to splash in a bath that is filled from such a water heater, you will need a 380 V network and specialists who will stretch it out.

And the latter should not be saved: the wiring for such a powerful consumer should be done only by qualified electricians with normal experience, and not "Uncle Vasya" from the neighboring entrance, which once screwed the bulbs in one of the numerous state-owned enterprises.

User Tips

So for what purposes can electric water heaters be used ? Reviews of people using them actually point to several areas of application.

• If the sources of hot water supply in the city are permanently inaccessible, and the wiring allows the connection of such powerful consumers.
• In the form of a backup for short-term outages of hot water.
• In the event that you will use a water heater to provide hot water to the builders of a country house.

In the latter case, a running electric water heater, the price of which is small, can serve as an excellent disposable "warmer", which it is not a pity to send to the landfill after the construction is completed. Considering that in the evening and in the morning (when there is a need for hot water), the network on the object under construction is free, the wiring must endure.

Reviews in this case are positive, since it is the rate of heating water for domestic needs that is extremely important for builders.

The aesthetic side of the question

What else are good electric water heaters flowing? The testimonies indicate that their other attractive feature is the compactness: such a device can be placed somewhere in the corner of a bathroom or kitchen, and it will be completely invisible. Compare this to the huge tank of a storage boiler!

Strangely enough, but this is the main wave of enthusiasm ends. The fact is that the very principle of their work makes electric water heaters flowing unacceptable for many houses and apartments in our country. Reviews of people say that at best, before starting their operation, it will be necessary to completely replace the wiring, which is far from being affordable for everyone.

The fact is that for the most primitive model you need at least 5 kW, and if you want to wash not under a weak stream of water, but under a normal shower, it would be better to provide at least 10 kW. It is not necessary to say that such an electric network is not in every new cottage community.

In most villages, people generally do not think about buying flow heaters, since more than 3 kW of the local network does not hold.

Advice from consumers

The most positive feedback about those devices that have electronic temperature stabilization of water. Since flow heaters increase the temperature of water almost instantly, it is desirable to be able to fine-tune it, since otherwise, even burns are possible. Despite all the existing shortcomings, there are quite a few people who put up with them. Having studied their recommendations, we would like to share with you tips on what to look for when buying a water heater running electric. Which is better to buy? Let's try to figure this out.

Consumers unanimously say that one should not buy cheap Chinese models whose electronic components rarely last for more than a year. In case of its failure you can expect a lot of not too pleasant surprises, down to rinse with steep boiling water.

Combined Solutions

An electric water heater of flow type is desirable to be purchased complete with a battery tank for water. The pages of the Internet are full of sad stories that tell of the sudden disconnection of water right in the middle of the "bath day." If you have at least a small reserve of water in such a tank, then you can wash off the foam. Of course, it will not be too pleasant to finish the procedure with the complete absence of hot water, but this is in any case better than "soapy races" around the apartment.

Thus, an ideal electric water heater for a summer residence. Of course, if you have the opportunity to make a separate tap from the meter, and also change the wiring to copper (if it has not changed for a long time). The testimonies testify that these devices are extremely useful, "eat" relatively little electricity, and therefore are simply irreplaceable in some situations.

A huge plus is the fact that the scum on the TEN of such equipment simply does not have time to be postponed, so that these water heaters do not need much maintenance.

Choosing the best model

Now you know what a running electric water heater is. How to choose the most optimal model that will fully meet your needs?

Of course, for this you need to analyze your requirements, as without this you will betes your own money ineptly. First, why do you need a "protochnik"? If for short-term supply of the house with hot water, then take a closer look at the models from ELECTROLUX or ATMOR of the lower and middle price category.

They cost in the range of 1600-2500 thousand rubles, which makes them affordable even for buyers with a very limited budget. The power of such models ranges from 2.5 to 5 kW, which allows them to be used in most apartments and rural houses without the need for major modernization of the wiring.

In addition, in this price category, you can find even a relatively good water heater running electric with a shower. However, customer feedback immediately warns that you should not flatter yourself especially: the head of the jet is so-so, and when you try to add it, the temperature of the water drops significantly. Pleasures from washing with cool water a bit.

Would you like a bath?

Thus, if you want to have something more substantial, you will need a normal electric water heater for the shower. Excellent models have proved themselves from THERMEX. Their cost is about 6-7 thousand rubles, which is not so much. As a rule, they are equipped with a mechanical temperature regulator, the power is within 5-8 kW.

In this case, all buyers already say that it is highly desirable to replace the wiring with a more reliable one. In addition, consumers are advised to use the services of a professional electrician, since for such a power it is highly desirable to make a separate tap from the meter in order to avoid any kind of trouble.

The most powerful varieties

Finally, flow-through heaters for constant and unlimited supply of the entire house with hot water - it is strongly recommended not to save on such a purchase strongly (!). The list of well-proven manufacturers is wide: Bosh, ELECTROLUX, THERMEX, LG ... They are united by one - exactingness to operating conditions.

Despite the power of 10-15 kW, the wiring should withstand all 20 kW. The network is needed for 380 V. In addition, it is strongly recommended not to engage in self-assembly of this kind of equipment, as the consequences can be sad. In the conditions of rural wooden houses, it is undesirable to use such a powerful technique, as this is poorly correlated with the fire regulations of the relevant authorities.

In this case it is better to purchase a more or less large storage boiler, which in this respect is much safer.

In what cases do you not want to buy flow heaters?

Having dealt with all the positive sides and recommended manufacturers, let's discuss those situations in which the use of flow heaters is not only senseless, but also simply dangerous.

Firstly, it is better not to buy them in case you need hot water regularly and in significant quantities, but even the meter in your apartment is designed for a maximum of 10-16 A. Similar occurs in our country often. You can put the heater at 3 kW maximum (!), Which even in the most optimistic case can provide you with only warm water for washing dishes.

We talked about the fact that flow models are not too sensitive to hard water. This is true, but if you often have a turbid water flowing from the faucet, it is better to buy an ordinary boiler. The situation in this case is not saved even by the filter: the testimonies indicate that the flow heaters are extremely quickly clogged with the smallest organic impurities, after which their heating elements fail. Replace them unrealistically.

A little more about the wiring ...

In addition, if there is at least one joint of aluminum and copper wires in your house (which in itself is very bad), and even located close to the place where you intend to plug in the "protochnik", the idea of buying it is not very good. In this case, the probability of formation of a galvanic pair and destruction of the wire is likely, which will almost certainly lead to a fire.

Buyers of flow-through heaters confirm that during their operation, cheap Chinese outlets can heat up to such an extent that they begin to melt. Than it is fraught, you can guess yourself. So before installing such equipment, be sure to change not only the wires, but also other accessories, since it is not recommended to joke with such things.

Instead of concluding

In general, reviews about running electric water heaters are quite similar. As a rule, buyers are attracted to the opportunity to almost instantly heat water, they really like their compactness and extremely low cost.

But practically all of them agree that in most cases it is necessary to pay a tidy sum for a complete replacement of wiring and installation of more powerful automatic machines. In addition, there is no water reserve (you can buy an additional accumulator), which is very important for rural areas and small towns where water supply disruptions are not uncommon.

However, running electric water heaters, the price (reviews are also quite good) which are so small, deserve their part of the market as small and compact sources of hot water in case of its sudden disappearance from the tap.

In addition, you will not be banned from combining two types of heaters: in the kitchen, put a flow model, which is quite enough for washing dishes, and for the bathroom to acquire a large boiler, which additionally will play the role of a reservoir for water.