Instant water heater?

jekyll63

Has anyone installed one of these? I'm moving into a flat with no gas supply. I dont fancy using the immersion heater to wash a few dishes or have a shave, so I was thinking of removing the tank, (Extra space in the store cupboard gained) and installing a Redring powerstream. Seems Ideal but I'd like to hear from anyone that has one or similar. Thanks.

clockworks_2

These look really good would be interested to read some replies from people who have used them too.

The only think is i have 3 sinks in total and 2 showers so would need more than 1 i assume. Although i would never used 2 showers at once.

Wookey

A willis type immersion heater will be a far better job, i would only recommend using an instantaneous type heater where there is absolutely no other option. Willis type immersion is a small copper vessel with an immersion heater element inside located outside the hot water cylinder, it heats the hot water cylinder by creating a gravity circulation, this means that any hot water it heats is fed into the top of the hot water cylinder thereby giving enough hot water for dishes say after about 10mins, the power consumption is about 2.9kw compared to an instant heater at 8-9kw. The big advantage a willis heater has over a standard internal immersion is that it will only heat up a little water or the whole tank if you want, the standard internal heater will generally just heat up the whole tank. There would probably be a big spend involved in the wiring for a 8 or 9 kw heater as there are several extra safety regs involved.

mikey72

Go for the Redring EW for supplying the kitchen, and the powerstream for handwashing.
The EW stores a small amount of water, and keeps it at a high enough temperature to kill germs. It runs off a normal 13A socket as well. The powerstream isn't hot enough to wash dishes in, but provides water at a temperature to wash hands, have a shave, and can even feed a shower. (not at the same time though). Needs a dedicated supply though. Ideally an electric shower with them as well is a better option though, the powerstream will be cold if it has to run any distance as well. It's an undersink unit really.
I've fitted an EW, they are straighforward, but are an unvented heater, so they have to be installed correctly to be safe and comply with regs.

Wookey

One problem i've found with the redring storage heaters is there lifespan, at worst expect a 5 year lifespan and at £150-£200 that isn't that cost effective, add in maintenance costs if you live in a hard water area for yearly replacement of an anode on top, again i would only use as a last resort, by far and away for OP's situation is a willis heater to his existing system.

27col

What is the objection to the immersion heater. Modern foam lagged cylinders are very efficient in keeping heat losses to a minimum. You only have to feel the difference in the outside of a loose jacketed tank to a foam jacketed tank to realise this. Whatever electric system you use to heat the water will cost the same, for the same amount of hot water. In addition the tank will hold enough hot water for a bath or shower. The alternatives seem to be expensive and complicated, just to gain a small amount of storage space. If cost is a factor then the tank heater can have two elements( it may well already have) and the system can be on a timer if you do not want to leave a full tank hot all the time. In addition, why would you want to wait 10 mins, as has been suggested in one of the posts, for some hot water just to wash your hands or the dishes. You might just as well boil a kettle.

jekyll63

Thanks for the info guys. I'ts going to be the redring EW or the willis then. I've already got an electric shower installed so no problem there and its a very soft water area. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wookey

27col wrote: »

What is the objection to the immersion heater. Modern foam lagged cylinders are very efficient in keeping heat losses to a minimum. You only have to feel the difference in the outside of a loose jacketed tank to a foam jacketed tank to realise this. Whatever electric system you use to heat the water will cost the same, for the same amount of hot water. In addition the tank will hold enough hot water for a bath or shower. The alternatives seem to be expensive and complicated, just to gain a small amount of storage space. If cost is a factor then the tank heater can have two elements( it may well already have) and the system can be on a timer if you do not want to leave a full tank hot all the time. In addition, why would you want to wait 10 mins, as has been suggested in one of the posts, for some hot water just to wash your hands or the dishes. You might just as well boil a kettle.

Immersions come in two forms, internal and willis, they both run at approx 2.9kw the difference is how they heat the water, internal is fine if you want to heat the entire cylinder by using either its own stat or an external one fitted to the tank, the willis type sucks water out of the cylinders bottom, heats it and feeds it back in the top thereby heating the cylinder from the top down, this water at the top is then available for immediate draw of, it to can be controlled by its own stat or an external cylinder stat. Certainly if a large amount of hot water is needed and the cylinder has adequate lagging i would go with an internal immersion, but as OP is after lesser amounts then a willis is the way to go.

hatsumi

Instantaneous water heaters often get a bad rap because they are seldom set up correctly in the first place.

They are not suitable for all installations but they're really handy for many.

The trick is to turn the hot tap on fully and regulate the flow rate into the Powerstream using the service valve that they include in the box. This stops the wild temperature fluctuations where people end up having to turn their hot tap down in order to increase the water temperature.

Also the 12KW model isn't that much more than the 9.5KW so consider buying the bigger one to help you through the colder months.

This blog page shows everything (good and bad) about the Redring Powerstream instantaneous water heater (which you can apply to most other makes as they work on the same principle): fastlec.co.uk/blog/redring-powerstream

jekyll63

Interesting to hear people are filling a bath with a powerstream! I haven't got a bath, just an elect. shower. I may be tempted to try one for the sake of £150 or so. I can install it myself and my spark mate will connect it to the cu with an isolator. Another interisting option I've found is a marine immersion tank. 1,2 or 3 kw from 10 or 15L capacity. Hmm.

jekyll63

Well, I finally opted for a 2kw 10 litre vented water heater. It's absolutely perfect. I removed the immersion tank and fitted it in its place. It takes up hardly any space and I connected it to the existing timer circuit. 10 minutes gives me 10 litres of piping hot water. Chuffed to bits! It cost £165 for the heater and the fitting kit. I think I'll put the tank on ebay.