Years ago I was visiting a friend in Tokyo and was astonished that she took water from the tap for tea, and it was too hot to drink. This was way back in 1979. I was amazed that all the hot water for the home’s kitchen and bath came from a heat-on-demand water tank powered by natural gas. Later that year, I saw passive solar water heating systems on the roofs of homes just outside of Tel Aviv. Thirty years later I’ve yet to see these systesm in widespread adoption around the states.

Then you consider that tank-less, heat-on-demand systems are available—with models that just heat your teapot, while others power the shower—they’re still a ways off from popular use around the states.  You’ll probably remember (or still have) one of those tea elements for plugging in and using electrical power to heat coffee. That’s as far as most of us go.

The Savings?

You might save a hundred dollars a year in energy bills from an on-demand system. But if you’re considering buying an on-demand heater to cover all your hot water needs, be sure to consider the size of your family, the cost of installing a system, the tank capacity, and the amount of hot water you need every day. The Department of Energy says a majority of systems can generate 2-5 gallons a minute, depending on the fuel source. From your own experience you know that gas-fired heaters are quicker to raise your water to the right temperature than electric ones.

Tax Credits for Tank-less  Water Heaters

You can read up on the 2009-2010 tax credit at the Alliance to Save Energy website.  In essence, your potential credit for installing a tank-less unit for the credit depends on your finding a system that can heat the water to efficiency standards based on source (electric, gas, oil, propane). An acceptable energy factor may be hard to find. The credit may only be $300, but pennies saved by energy efficiency can add up.

According to the Department of Energy, the energy factor is determined by  fuel consumption and the speed of recovery,  and how much heat is lost in the cycle of briefly storing and pumping out the water. When shopping around, examine units for a high-number energy factor, meaning the most-efficient for home use.

Dedicating a tank-less heater to appliances, spas, or as a secondary power source can prove a wise choice if there’s no constant or huge demand.

Your thermostat, when working properly, runs on a transformer to set and adjust the amount of heat your furnace delivers to your home. Imagine how you might feel one cold winter morning when you adjust your thermostat and nothing happens! Brrr! There are simple ways to troubleshoot your problem, but ultimately you may have more on your hands than you can handle. Let’s look at some simple causes.

Your thermostat unit may have a short, a circuit may have blown or tripped a breaker, or a dusty thermostat unit may be blocked from reading the proper settings. At the heart of the thermostat is the bimetallic coil, a wound strip of metal that expands or contracts under the influence of temperatures. Wouldn’t you be lucky if all you needed to do to get the thermostat working again was to dust off the coil?

You need to eliminate some of the suspects, one-by-one, flipping back the breakers, replacing fuses, or checking your electrical connections.

Beware the Fouled Heat Anticipator

If you open your thermostat, you’ll most likely find a disc connected by a thin wire to the bimetallic coil. When the heat anticipator is adjusted properly, it heats the coil to room temperature so that your furnace won’t keep bursting on and off with minute changes in heat or cold. If it operates too often, it can harm your thermostat or heating unit.

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Make sure that the thermostat box has been mounted on the level. A crooked unit can affect the workings of the coil and heat anticipator.

In most units, the anticipator is connected over a scale printed on the circular disc. By moving the tab to and fro over the temperature settings, you just might free a stuck heat anticipator.

The disc on the anticipator usually has the word “longer” etched or printed on it. For a unit that turns on and off too frequently or fails to reach the temperature set on the thermostat, you should adjust the anticipator arm toward the word “longer” and give it a few hours to see if it solves your dilemma. By using the correct anticipator setting, you conserve energy, by using pre-heated air already in the furnace system to fill your home before additional heat is generated.

If that doesn’t work, you may have to call in an HVAC contractor to snoop out the cause.

It may be too late where you live to have an Indian Summer barbecue, but many Americans live in mild climates with seasonally warm winters. For them, and for those of you saving up to improve your patio come springtime, let’s have a look at outdoor patio heaters.

Most consumers choose natural gas power to stoke their outdoor heaters. Models come fired by gas, wood, and electricity. There’s a dizzying assortment of heaters on the market, from free-standing table heaters to pole or column heaters, to mobile rolling models. Along with the wide range of models comes a broad range of prices. You can land a portable, table-top model for around $70, or pay upwards of a hefty $900 for standing heater with accessories.

Choosing the Model for Your Patio
There’s  an assortment of models for large jobs, similar to ones you encounter in restaurants with outdoor dining. In Britain, outdoor heaters are installed outside bars and pubs to keep patrons warm when they’re banished outdoors to smoke their cigarettes and cigars.

Depending on your model and BTU output, an outdoor patio heater can blast out a circle of radiant heat for up to 20 feet, increasing temperatures in their zone by as much as 25 degrees. That’s toasty. There are also strip heaters that focus their warmth directly where you hang or aim them.

Most portable units are powered by propane, allowing you to move them where you need them. Fixed, in-ground heaters can have a greater BTU output and are connected to a natural gas line. You’re looking at installation costs along with these more pricey models.

Safety First on the Patio
Standing-model patio heaters come fitted into a heavy foundation, resisting tipping and wind.  Some are constructed with tilt shut-off switches that disconnect the power supply when the model leans over too far.

You’ll find that many outdoor heaters powered by propane or natural gas are lighted by igniters, much in the way you fire up outdoor barbecue units.  You’ll get around 12 hours of heat from a 20-pound propane tank.

Depending on your model, you can also choose overheating shutoff switches and adjustable pilot lights. Even models with heavy bases mounted on wheels usually have disconnect sensors in case you bounce them into something. Manufacturers carry hoods and covers, too. But it’s up to you to know when the winds are simply too strong to power up your heater.

I can’t think of anything worse in the morning than having to take a cold shower. But having a rotten egg smell in your shower water from a decayed anode comes in a close second.  If you’re looking to replace a water heater or choose one for a new residence, you have a world of options.  Let’s look over a few.

The most conventionally used type is a storage water heater.  These units have up to an 80-gallon capacity (if you can afford to heat it) and are fired by natural gas, propane, electricity, and fuel oil.  Other choices include a heat-pump water heater, where the water is heated on-demand, but the heater has a limited rate of flow.

There are also solar powered water heaters, tankless coil heaters that power off your home’s heating system, and electric-powered on-demand water heaters, a common choice around the globe.

Evaluating Your Water Heating Needs
The U.S. Department of Energy has established some simple guidelines to help you choose the right water heater for your needs. You’ll want to evaluate the fuel source options to power the heater, the capacity you’ll need for your family, and the operating costs (along with energy efficiency).

In addition to electricity, fuel oil, natural gas, and propane, homeowners with geothermal heating systems can tap into that unique resource with a pump system.

When shopping for your system, evaluate the Energy Guide label on the appliance that stipulates the annual operating costs and energy efficiency. Size alone is not necessarily your best guideline.

If you have a large family with constant hot water use in showers and appliances, you’ll want a heater with a rapid recovery rate. Beware of your cost to heat water all day. Remember, you want to consider BTU input and first-hour recovery rates. The higher the BTU rate and smaller the tank, the shorter the time to a tankful of fresh hot water.

If you have only three members in your family, you may be comfortable with a 40 gallon capacity tank.

Water Heater Accessories
You should consider water heater accessories that can help with efficiency and home protection from leaks. These include alarms, pressure regulators, heater stands, tank capacity extenders, insulating blankets, overflow pans, and system timers.

Insulating blankets are a great idea if your heater is in a cold basement or garage and you live in a cold climate.

Finally, let’s look at that rotten egg smell.  It’s caused by bacteria that forms in the water after water heater anodes reach the end of their service life.  When that happens, you need to change out the anodes with zinc-alloy replacements, treat your water, or replace the entire water heater.