Using an On Demand Water Heater in conjunction with water saving plumbing fixtures
Dear Concord Carpenter,
Your article, Water Saving Plumbing Fixtures, reminded me of something my mother was told recently.
She has been investigating options for a new heating & hot water system and was told that on-demand hot water heater wouldn’t work well in her house due to all the water saving devices she has installed. She was told that on-demand water heater works best with regular water use.
Do you know why that is?
It seems like a poor state of affairs to have to choose between energy efficiency and water conservation. Maybe this would be a good topic for a follow-up article.
Holly
Westford, MA
Dear Holly,
It can be a conflicting problem & solution.
Depending on the On-Demand Water Heater model, other piping, fixtures, and other miscellaneous characteristics of one’s system…..most of these water heaters require a minimum of a .5 GPM of flow (1/2 gallon of water passing through the heat exchanger) to turn on the appliance.
Sometimes water saving devices can cause problems with On Demand Water Heaters. But many of these water heaters will work if you research the specifications of minimum water flow needed to turn on the appliance.
Hope this helps!
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