Gas water heaters (water heaters)

Recommendation points

• The history of the creation of gas water heaters
• Features of the device of gas water heaters
• How to choose a gas water heater
• NEVA 4510 LUX (4510 NEVA Lux)
• Ariston FAST CF 11 P
• Electrolux GWH 285 ERN NanoPro
• Junkers MiniMaxx WR 10 P

Gas water heaters are widely used in everyday life. Our task is to briefly introduce you to the history of the development of gas water heating equipment, by leading world and domestic manufacturers, to briefly talk about the device and principle of operation of various gas water heaters (water heaters), to assist in choosing a gas water heater for your household needs..

The history of the creation of gas water heaters

Gas water heaters have a rather long history of use and are not outlandish for our consumer. The first gas water heaters appeared at the end of the 19th century and were very popular. The first gas water heaters appeared in Germany (Dessau) in 1895. Their inventor is Hugo Junkers. Now this name has become a trademark that personifies high-quality advanced developments in the production of household appliances of the widest range. The JUNKERS enterprise (JUNKERS) is a part of the BOSCH concern (the enterprise was acquired in 1932 at the height of the global economic crisis, currently this division is called Bosch Thermotechnik and combines such brands as Junkers, Leblanc, Radison, Vulcano, Worcester, Geminox).

It will not be superfluous to recall that at one time it was Hugo Junkers, or rather his enterprise, together with the German company DEUTSCHE AERO LLOYD, established another enterprise, no less famous now, associated with aviation. This company is Luftgansa, a well-known German airline. The talent of the Junkers design engineer was in demand during the war – World War II veterans and connoisseurs of history are well aware of Junkers aircraft, which were widely used on all fronts of World War II.

Hugo Junkers (left) and Henry Ford. December 1929.

But, back to peaceful products. The first gas water heaters, even in those days, were technically rather complex devices. However, central water supply and sewerage were no longer uncommon in cities, and the ability to get hot water without unnecessary effort made gas water heaters very attractive for urban residents. Due to the presence of automation, the flame of the burners was modulated depending on the water flow rate, and the automatic shutdown of the gas in the event of a flame failure made the columns safer. Don’t forget that we are talking about products that date from 1905.

Competitors could not ignore such a demanded product. The production of gas water heaters was quickly established in many European countries. Jojan Vailant (founder of Vaillant), Emil Rathenau (founder of United Electric Company, or better known as Allgemeine Elektric Gesellschaft “AEG”), Electrolux, Ariston and many others, including domestic gas heaters NEVA (OJSC Gazapparat “).

Features of the device of gas water heaters

Before proceeding with the choice of a gas water heater, we need to have an idea of ​​its structure, the principle of operation, and find out the technical characteristics. In this case, the price cannot be an indicator of the quality of the product. Even the most expensive product will turn out to be ineffective if, when choosing, you are not guided by technical characteristics, do not take into account the peculiarities of operation, etc. Gas water heaters are of flow-through and storage type. The most common are instantaneous water heaters. This is due to the fact that water heaters of this type have high performance and compact dimensions..

A gas water heater (water heater) is not just a metal box with pipes. This is a rather complex household appliance that allows you to provide you with hot water in the required volume as soon as possible and with minimal energy consumption (in this case, with minimal consumption of natural gas). Moreover, a properly selected and configured geyser is the way to save the family budget. All that we see first of all is a special protective case, which not only closes access to the main units and elements of the gas water heater, but also protects you from possible injuries during the operation of the product. Previously, speaker enclosures were often white. At the moment, it is possible to choose a gas water heater not only in shape and size, but also to choose a certain color, which will allow this household appliance to perfectly fit into the interior of the room. The location of this gas appliance will be necessarily determined in the project for the installation of the column. The presence of combustion products implies the connection of a gas water heater to a chimney (do not confuse it with kitchen ventilation, these are completely different things). Modern gas water heaters can have sealed combustion chambers, the same as those of heating boilers. This allows you to remove the combustion products directly through a specially equipped chimney in the wall and be less constrained with the choice of the location of the gas water heater.

A heat exchanger is hidden under the column cover, which is most often made of copper and gas burners. This is where cold water is heated. The service life of the heat exchanger will largely depend on the quality of the water. Too hard water often causes limescale deposits to “overgrow” the heat exchanger tubes. This phenomenon can be dealt with in different ways – additional filtration, the use of special water softeners. But sooner or later you will have to turn to specialists who do special cleaning of heat exchangers. It is not recommended to make such repairs on your own, since you have to work with corrosive liquids, and not everyone knows all the technical features of the geyser device.

There are a variety of ways to ignite a gas water heater – from using a match or other source of open fire to modern electric ignition. In the first case (when using manual ignition), your gas water heater does not require connection to the electrical network or the installation of special batteries. But speakers with various kinds of automation cannot work without electricity. And it doesn’t matter at all whether it is powered from the mains or from batteries. Without electricity, such a column will either not work, or the automation will give you an error. The piezoelectric element means that the column will be turned on manually before starting work. This is not always convenient, but this type of speaker is cheaper than their “automatic” counterparts. The batteries from which the electric ignition works make it possible to use the column in automatic mode. As soon as a special sensor detects the movement of water through the heat exchanger, electric ignition is triggered and the water begins to heat up. But batteries, even the highest quality ones, have a limited lifespan..

The BOSCH company has developed an interesting way of generating electricity to ensure the performance of its gas water heaters. BOSCH has installed a real miniature hydroelectric power plant in its gas water heaters. German designers took into account the fact that the column needs electricity only at the moment the water is turned on and used the energy of water movement. A miniature generator was installed in the pipeline, which generates electricity from running water (water passes through the turbine blades). As a result, such gas water heaters have all the advantages of columns with electric ignition and do not need any sources of electricity (network, batteries).

Any modern gas water heater provides for the presence of automation (even the simplest one), which not only monitors gas leakage, but also makes it impossible to use the column without water (dry), or in the case when there is no water flow. This is done in order to protect the heat exchanger from breakdown – in the absence of water, it can melt, and if there is no water flow, then the water boiling in the tubes can simply rupture the heat exchanger. In addition, the automation ensures that gas combustion products are promptly removed from the combustion chamber. In the absence of normal traction, the automation stops the gas supply. All these functions make gas water heaters as safe as possible to work..

How to choose a gas water heater

When choosing a gas water heater, it will not be superfluous to ask about the presence of a modulated gas burner in the product. It is these columns that allow you to avoid sudden jumps in water temperature. Agree, not everyone will agree to get a “contrast” shower, and pouring boiling water over it can lead to sad consequences. This sometimes happens when operating old gas water heaters, which have several points of water intake. The modulating gas burner allows you to receive exactly the amount of water of a given temperature that you directly need, regardless of the number of points of water consumption.

Some consumers are wary of the fact that in many gas water heaters in standby mode (at the moment when you are not using water) the igniter continues to burn. This is completely in vain. The igniter not only provides a quick start of the column into operation, but also serves as a kind of safety device against possible gas leakage.

Needless to say, you only need to purchase gas equipment that has passed certification and, preferably, make a purchase in a specialized retail network – this should become the rule when choosing complex household appliances. In addition, the design and gas supply organizations that will issue all permits for putting the product into operation will require you to provide all documents and certificates for the boiler. This is due to the fact that not all gas water heaters are designed to work in our gas networks. The quality of the supplied gas, the pressure in the main network, and possible pressure surges are only some of the factors that are taken into account when certifying a product and obtaining the right to sell on the domestic market..

Connection and commissioning of gas equipment is carried out by specialized services. The cost of such services is quite reasonable. And the risk in this case will not be justified – gas workers will not only carry out the correct connection of the gas appliance, but also adjust it in such a way as to ensure maximum gas savings with the highest productivity.

When choosing a gas water heater, you must first of all decide on its power. It is quite easy to calculate. To do this, you need to know how much water is consumed per minute from our taps. In a standard apartment there are usually no more than 3-4 hot water intake points. This is a kitchen, bath, shower, etc. The washbasin in the sink consumes about 14-16 liters of water with temperatures up to 38-40 degrees. The average consumption is about 60–70 liters of water per day. One bathtub will require up to 200 liters of water per day, about 30 liters is enough for a shower stall, and up to 10 liters for a kitchen sink. If you have a dishwasher and washing machine, these figures will be lower. Any specialist knowing these parameters can easily offer you a gas water heater of appropriate power. But you can count a little yourself. The amount of heated water in one minute depends on the power of the water heater, in this case, the gas water heater. For household purposes (washing dishes, washing, bathing, etc.), we usually use water with a temperature of up to 40–45 degrees. If hotter water is used, there is a risk of burns. In any passport for a gas water heater, you can find such an indicator as performance. This indicator is sometimes referred to as Dt – the difference between the temperature of the water entering the gas column and leaving it. This is a very important indicator that allows you to choose the right water heater. If Dt = 30 degrees, this means that at the outlet of the column the water will have a temperature of about 42 degrees, since the entering water temperature is about 8-14 degrees.

Knowing these features, let’s try to consider several options for gas columns. We will not fully consider the technical characteristics, but will try to characterize the features of a particular model..

NEVA 4510 LUX (4510 NEVA Lux)

NEVA gas water heaters are very popular among consumers. As a sample, we chose a flow-through gas column NEVA 4510 LUX (4510 NEVA Lux). This gas water heater has a high-quality German heat exchanger, is capable of operating not only from mains, but also liquefied gas (bottled gas), which significantly expands the scope of this gas water heater (apartments, cottages, summer cottages, construction sites, etc.).

The productivity of this column is 10 l / min at Dt = 25. The column can be operated at a water pressure of only 0.1 bar, which is a very good indicator, since the water pressure in the water supply system does not always meet the standards. In addition, the column can operate at a gas pressure of 1274 Pa. The efficiency of this column is about 88%. The cost of this column is about 5000 rubles.

Ariston FAST CF 11 P

The Ariston FAST CF 11 P geyser is available in several versions:

• piezo ignition;
• electronic ignition.

Ariston geysers are fully adapted to work in our gas networks, equipped with reliable safety automation, which allows you to simultaneously monitor different parameters: no traction, no gas leakage, no water flow.

The productivity of this column is 11 l / min at Dt = 25. However, this column is more demanding on the water pressure in the system. The minimum pressure must be at least 0.23 bar. The cost of this column is about 7000 rubles.

Electrolux GWH 285 ERN NanoPro

The GWH 285 ERN NanoPro geyser from the Electrolux concern has a rather high power, but its performance is the same – 11 l / min at Dt = 25. The minimum water pressure in the water supply system is only 0.15 bar, which is a very good indicator.

One of the features of this gas column is a proprietary heat exchanger. Copper, from which heat exchangers are made, undergoes a number of special treatments, which makes it maximally resistant to high temperatures and allows it to successfully withstand overheating. In addition, gas burners with fewer nozzles are used in this column, which makes the operation of the product practically silent. The Intelligent control security system monitors all systems during the operation of the dispenser and in case of deviation from the set parameters, immediately turns off the product. The cost of this gas water heater is about 7,500 rubles..

Junkers MiniMaxx WR 10 P

The MiniMaxx WR 10 P gas water heater from Junkers (BOSCH Gruppe) differs from its competitors in a rather favorable price (about 5900 rubles) with practically equal technical capabilities.

This column is also capable of operating at very low water pressure (only 0.1 bar), has a 2-year warranty, unlike the models presented above.

Once again, I want to say about the competent, qualified installation of gas household appliances, which include gas water heaters. The installation should be trusted only by professionals who have all permits and are responsible for their work. This is a guarantee not only for the performance of the devices, but also for your personal safety. Have a successful and correct choice.