You may be surprised to learn that there are several different options available to homeowners looking to find a new water heater near Apopka, FL. You’re probably most familiar with the traditional storage tank water heater, which relies on a large tank and the heat rising principle to heat water. A long tube sends cool water down to the bottom of the tank, where a burner or electric heating element then heats up the water. Hot water naturally rises to the top of the tank and is sucked through a tube and brought into the pipes when you turn on a hot water tap in the home.
For people with gas-powered storage tank water heaters, particularly with high-efficiency systems, this can be a rather efficient way to heat up water. A storage tank water heater must stay on throughout the day to keep hot water available. This means that there is a lot of standby energy loss; energy is used all day to heat water that you will only use a few times a day. However, natural gas is generally less costly than electricity. If your water heater can only run on electricity, you may end up spending a lot more, unless you choose another type of unit.
Many people who rely on electricity to heat up water choose a tankless water heater. A tankless water heater instead heats up the water on demand, sending water through a heat exchanger which begins to heat up as soon as you turn on a hot water tap and turns off immediately after you’re finished. Still, some people are dissatisfied with tankless units because they can take a long time to heat up water. Besides, you may need multiple tankless units to accommodate large households, at a much higher cost.
Enter the hybrid water heater. This is a traditional storage tank water heater with a twist: it uses a heat pump to heat up the water. A heat pump is a device that moves heat from one area from another. In this case, the water heater uses a fan to draw in air from the surrounding area. An evaporator coil contains refrigerant which absorbs heat from the air. As refrigerant moves through the compressor, it’s heated up even more. It then flows through a heat exchanger so it can heat up the water in the tank. This is a far more energy efficient way to produce heat and keep hot water available at all times.
Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) has a wide variety of water heaters available, including traditional units, tankless water heaters, hybrid systems, and even solar-powered units. Call us today to find the perfect water heater for your home in Apopka, FL.