The comfort level when taking a bath is hot water. So in the market, should I choose an electric water heater, gas water heater, solar energy, or air energy? AWE takes everyone to discuss: gas water heater, electric water heater, air energy, solar energy.

1.Gas water heater

A gas water heater is a water heater that burns natural gas or gas. There are many types of gas water heaters, including four types: flue, forced exhaust, balanced, and condensing. The earliest in-line type has stopped production and sales.

[Advantage]: It is hot immediately after opening, no need to wait, fast heating speed, fast water output during use, can be used continuously by many people. Small in size and does not take up space. And easy to install and cheap. No need to disassemble and clean, convenient for daily use and maintenance.

[Disadvantage]: If carbon monoxide is generated when the combustion is not complete, it is easy to cause poisoning in an enclosed environment, and accidents need to be maintained. The service life is short, and it needs to be replaced about every 6-10 years. There is a problem with the cold water section of gas water heaters, and the cold water should be drained before use in winter. If the water heater is installed in the kitchen or balcony, the pipes are relatively long, so wait for a long time.

[Energy Consumption]: Gas

[Recommended]: The gas water heater can be installed outdoors and separated from the user. It is best not to install it in the bathroom to reduce the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning and avoid safety issues. When in use, doors and windows must not be tight, and reasonable ventilation must be achieved. Regularly check the warranty and check the pipeline for aging and leakage problems to ensure that the quality of the water heater meets standards.

2. Electric water heater

Electric water heaters use electricity as a source of energy to heat water heaters, which are divided into three types: water storage, instant and quick heating. Most households install water storage electric water heaters.

[Advantages]: It does not generate exhaust gas and is not affected by the temperature. It is convenient to use, cheap, and has a long life.

[Disadvantages]: Large size, occupying space, power consumption, need to be heated before use, if there are more families, you need to wait halfway, and there may be leakage of electricity. The later maintenance and cleaning are more troublesome, because scale will be generated inside the electric water heater, and the cleaning is relatively troublesome.

[Energy Consumption]: Electricity

[Suggestion]: It is said that many electric water heaters on the market now have anti-shock devices. You can ask when buying, and it is also recommended to descal the interior once a year (replace the magnesium rod).

3. Air energy water heater

Air energy water heater, also known as "air source heat pump water heater". The "air energy water heater" absorbs the low-temperature heat in the air, vaporizes it with a fluorine medium, and then pressurizes the compressor to increase the temperature and then heats the water through the heat exchanger. The compressed high-temperature heat energy is used to heat the water temperature.

[Advantage]: environmental protection, separation of water and electricity is safer, easy to use, not affected by the weather, as long as there is air, there is hot water, available for heating 24 hours a day, simple installation, long service life, basically can be used for 15 years the above. No maintenance and maintenance is required during the period, which is convenient and efficient.

[Disadvantage]: It has a large volume and occupies an area. It needs to be installed in a slightly more spacious place such as a balcony, and the cost is high.

[Energy Consumption]: Air is the main, electricity is the auxiliary

[Recommended]: The size of the air energy water heater can be selected according to the number of households. Generally, the amount of use for one person is about 40-50L. If the family has 3 mouths, select 150L, if it is 5 mouths, select 200L, and so on; This standard increases capacity based on personal preferences (for example, some female friends take more time to bathe).

4. Solar water heater

Solar water heater is a heating device that converts solar energy into thermal energy, which heats water from low temperature to high temperature to meet people's hot water use in life and production. Nowadays, many are solar water heaters with auxiliary electric heating function. It mainly uses solar energy, supplemented by electric energy, and doubles with weather.

[Advantages]: Energy saving, environmental protection and safety. The solar water heater system runs fully automatically and statically, without the need for special care, no noise, no pollution, no leakage, fire, poisoning and other dangers. The system has good thermal insulation performance, large heat storage energy, and the water storage tank has a water storage function, which can meet the centralized use of hot water by a large number of people, and can also be used as an emergency water source when the water is stopped. The service life is as long as 10-15 years.

[Disadvantages]: Installation and maintenance are troublesome. Solar water heaters are more dependent on the weather. It takes a whole day of sunshine to heat the water. It cannot be heated by sunlight when it encounters continuous rainy days. The user cannot guarantee 24-hour hot water supply, and the comfort is poor. With auxiliary electric heating, it needs to be heated before use on cloudy days, and the initial investment cost is high. When using it, it is necessary to put half a barrel to a barrel of cold water before it becomes hot.

[Energy Consumption]: Solar-based

[Recommendation]: Solar energy is huge, and it must be installed in a place with direct sunlight. Therefore, the installation location is relatively high. It is recommended that users on the top floor or self-built houses in rural areas use it better.

So, what kind of water heater should be installed in the bath?

After the analysis of the four water heaters, it is actually decided according to the population of the home. If there are only one or two people in the family, it is more cost-effective to choose an electric water heater; if the family has a large population, it is best to choose an air energy or gas water heater; If the home budget is in place, it is still most practical to choose air!

Source: Science China