Natural gas water heaters come in a variety of models allowing you to multi-task — do laundry, take a shower and even run the dishwasher simultaneously, or to save valuable floorspace while maximizing your energy efficiency with on-demand tankless models. Regardless of model, choosing a natural gas water heater means you’ll almost never hear “we’re out of hot water!” again. Natural gas water heaters heat water 63% fast than electric units so you’ll have an abundance of hot water. And, as with all natural gas appliances, you never have to remember to call for fuel refills since natural gas is always at your home or business regardless of the weather or road conditions.
Natural gas water heaters are made in two distinct styles: storage tank and tankless. Depending on the model they can be vented through a conventional chimney or directly out a wall.
A storage tank water heater is the most common type of water heater in Canada. It consists of a gas burner and a glass-lined steel storage tank with capacities most commonly ranging from 115 and 230 litres (30 to 60 U.S. gallons). The majority of storage tank water heaters are of a “standard efficiency” design, while some models are designed as high efficiency condensing units.
Indirect water heaters use the heat generated by your central home heating boiler to heat water in an unfired glass-lined or stainless steel storage tank. When combined with a high efficiency condensing heating boiler, indirect heaters offer high recovery capacities at high energy efficiencies.
A tankless water heater has no tank and stores no hot water - when a hot water tap or shower is turned on it the unit senses that cold water is flowing into it and activates its burner. The water is rapidly heated to the desired temperature, shutting off when the tap, shower or washing machine is turned ‘off’. This style of operation results in substantial energy savings over tank-type units that store hot water in their tank 24 hours a day. A tankless water heater can also save space and is able to be installed close to the point of use.
Learn more about tankless water heaters...