All owners of country houses and cottages are puzzled by the purchase of a device that provides them with hot water. It is easier for residents of private houses to equip an autonomous type of water supply than for owners of apartments in typical multi-storey buildings. Now there are many models of boilers, it remains only to understand which water heater to choose for your home.
Boilers differ in the type of installation:
- can be mounted on the wall;
- can be installed on the floor.
According to the main features of the work, water heaters are divided into:
- flow system;
- storage system.
According to the type of combustible substance used to generate heat:
- the operation of the device can be carried out using gas;
- the system can be powered by electricity;
- thanks to solid fuel materials;
- thanks to the combined materials;
- through indirect heating.
Which water heater is better to buy in a country house? How to choose a water heater for a private house according to the pros and cons of different models?
Important: the installation of gas and electric water heaters is supposed to be in one of the rooms in the house. The remaining types of water heaters are located in rooms not intended for habitation.
If it is possible to install such a device, it is most reasonable to buy a model that will provide not only hot water, but also heat rooms.
Wall or floor
Wall models of water heaters are small in size and low cost. However, there are a number of strict requirements for their installation. For example, if the owner of a country house wants to install a bulk boiler on the wall, it is important to consider that mounting a large tank is possible only on a solid vertical part of the building, the surface of which should not be combustible.
When installing wall heaters, it must be remembered that the distance between the building surface and the device must comply with the specified requirements.
In turn, floor water heaters are the safest and most reliable regarding this issue. You do not have to worry about the fact that the boiler can break and fall, since they are supported by horizontal carriers.
If a large family has a shower, it is best to look at storage water heaters, they have large tanks and are installed on the floor. All floor water heaters are partially fixed to the wall.
Flow or storage
Flowing water heaters are usually attached to the wall. They are not large, so you need to find a place for it that meets safety conditions. Flow type heaters are characterized by low cost, convenience and efficiency. But there is one significant disadvantage: the lack of the ability to produce a large flow of hot water. If large volumes are required, this type of boiler is not suitable for a private house.
With a large consumption of hot water per day, devices with storage tanks that provide a good pressure of hot water will be the best choice. But the price of such a water heating system is quite high.
Boilers are subject to the destruction of parts inside the structure. Tanks at the same time are steel and cast iron.
Gas or electric boilers
Gas home water heating systems can only be installed if there is access to gas. Unlike electric models, they are much more economical and comfortable to use. True, before installing such a water heater, you will have to create a project and coordinate the installation of the device with the controlling service. Installation can only be carried out by specialists who are allowed to work with gas equipment.
The electric water heater is safe and has no harmful effects on nature. The design of water heaters is strict and not overloaded with details. Their convenience lies in the fact that they contain an automatic device. To carry out the installation of such equipment, you do not have to apply to various kinds of services for permission. The disadvantages of an electric water heater include the high cost of both the device itself and the fuel. In addition, the stability of its operation directly depends on the level of current supply.
Complex arrangement of a country house with hot water or heating
If a country residence is most often used for relaxing on weekends, you can limit yourself to a small water heater. In the case of a permanent stay in the house, you need to seriously approach the integrated provision of it with water and heat. The boiler room, equipped in a separate annex, is best suited for this.
For such a house, a heater operating using a diesel, solid fuel or combined mechanism and connected in a two-circuit scheme is suitable. This option is the most profitable and convenient. It involves the installation of an indirect heating storage tank. Having installed such a system, it will only be necessary to monitor its operation and maintain it in time.
Wood water heaters
It is also possible to install a wood-burning water heater for a private house, which will be located in one of the premises. The main advantage of this system is efficiency at low cost, as well as the admissibility of using other solid combustible materials (coal, coal briquettes). Having the opportunity to buy coal or firewood at a low price, installing such a water heater will be the best solution.
A modern manufacturer of solid fuel boilers has made sure that you do not have to clean out soot and constantly fill the furnace. Once filling the furnace, the device itself, by means of sensors, will maintain the desired temperature regime, and the fuel will be consumed extremely economically.
Choosing a water heater according to the amount of hot water consumed
Given the water consumption, you can purchase a tank of small, medium and large sizes. Diesel boilers are not yet so popular in our country, however, in Western countries, such a water supply and heating system for country houses is the most common.
Such water heaters are very comfortable in that their workflow does not require the loading of fuels. A plus is also the possibility of switching to gas consumption. Connecting the water heater is easy. But the installation of the system will require a lot of labor and cash injections. Nevertheless, for the already short period of use of the equipment, all the laboriousness of the work pays off.
Naturally heated tanks
During hot periods, an additional water heating system will not be superfluous. These devices are powered by solar energy. The modern market offers options for systems that are located on the roof and use the heat of the sun. The installation of such a system is very simple. A tank is installed on the roof of a building or a shower room (located separately). Of course, such water heating systems are effective only in good and warm weather. However, one way or another, the water in the tank will be warmer than from the flowing water supply.
When choosing a storage boiler of any kind, it is advisable to lean towards a water heater with a high efficiency. Whatever the type of combustible, a high-tech device will in practice be a more economical option. Although the price of the unit itself is high.
The most economical to use in our country are water heaters that use natural gas as a combustible substance. The most expensive continue to be water heating devices powered by electrical energy. Diesel and solid fuel are located somewhere in the middle in the price range. When it is necessary to comprehensively cover the house with heat and hot water supply, it is advisable to install a gas water heater. If there is no access to gas, it is more rational and safer to use diesel fuel.
It is also necessary to understand that in horizontal boilers, cold water is mixed with already heated water in a rather tangible way. But in modern models of water heaters there is a protection that prevents such drops. Before buying, you need to find out if it is on a particular device. In vertical boilers, water is mixed in more comfortable conditions, which does not lead to sharp drops.
