Which water heater is better - flow or storage?

People living in a city whose apartments are connected to a centralized water supply system face at least twice a year such trouble when there is no hot water and you have to run around with buckets and basins to wash yourself properly. Basically, this happens during the preparation of thermal units for the heating season and in the summer during the pressing and repair of the heating network. Today you can get rid of such troublesome affairs and buy an electric water heater in the store. In stores, they are presented in a huge range and the most popular models are storage and flow heaters. Nevertheless, many people find it difficult to independently decide on buying a particular model. So today we will try to answer such a common question: which water heater is better - flowing or cumulative?

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Features of the operation of the storage tanks

To make it easier to answer the question that is of concern to us, we first need to consider the principles of the operation of storage type heaters. The design of these models is quite simple:

• Inside the tank, which is covered with a layer of thermal insulation, cold water is supplied directly from the water pipe, which is subsequently heated by means of a built-in electric heater.
• A special built-in thermostat controls the water temperature set by the control knob and as soon as it reaches the set limit, the heater switches off immediately.
• After heating, the water is stored inside the tank, as if in a thermos.
• If it starts to cool down again, the thermostat switches on the heater and warms it up a little to the desired temperature.

Important! Even though the storage water heaters are large enough, in modern interiors they look quite aesthetic.

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Advantages and disadvantages of storage tanks

It is quite difficult to immediately determine which boiler is better - flow or storage, so it is advisable to study the positive and negative sides of each of them in turn. Electric storage heaters at the moment are quite popular due to their unquestionable advantages, they include:

• Opportunity to work from an ordinary outlet in an apartment.
• Thanks to good thermal insulation, the water remains hot for a very long time.
• Possibility to heat one device with water for several water points, for example, a mixer in the bathroom and a kitchen faucet.
• Huge selection of forms of devices.

As in any other modern technology, they also have some disadvantages. They, though not much, but they influence the decision to purchase a boiler. So, to the cons of memory models are:

• Large sizes. So, for example, for a family consisting of two people, it is better to buy a model with a tank for 50-80 liters, and if there are even more people in the apartment, then definitely take a heater with a capacity of 100 liters.
• To install such a technique you need a lot of free space and the most reliable attachment.
• The long period of heating water - because of the large size of such models.
• Accumulators due to the constant heating of water consume a lot of electricity.

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What are flowing water heaters?

Electric flow-through boilers are another good alternative to a constant source of hot water. They can be used not only in apartments, but also in large enterprises. Principles of operation are very different from the effect of storage devices:

• Heating water in them occurs literally instantly. Water passing through the water pipe comes into contact with powerful electric heating elements. Due to this, it is heated to the desired level.
• Flow models are equipped with flow sensors, which are responsible for switching on and off heating elements.
• If the flow increases, additional elements are included. This significantly reduces the cost of electricity, which is used to heat water.
• In addition, such boilers have built-in protection against overheating.
• Modern models of flow heaters are also equipped with an electronic control system, and all information is displayed. That is, you can always see on it the water temperature, the current capacity of the heating elements, the current flow of water.

These nuances are especially important, so they must be taken into account, determining what type of water heater - accumulating or flowing.

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Advantages and disadvantages of

flow-through boilers There are several undoubted advantages of flow-type heaters:

• Compactness of instruments and possibility of installation even in conditions of limited free space.
• No restrictions on the volume of water heating.
• Externally they look more aesthetically pleasing than capacitive models.

They have at least some minor, but still disadvantages:

• Large electrical power.
• The need for cable routing from the panel at the entrance to install the device, because it does not work from ordinary outlets.

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How to choose between a storage and a flow-through water heater?

And yet, which water heater to choose - flow or cumulative? What's better? Would you prefer a small model or a large tank? Naturally, each person likes something different, and everyone will not immediately be able to please. It is better to be guided in this matter by the purposes for which you buy this device:

• If you do not plan to use it constantly, then your option is a small flow heater.
• If your house is often turned off for a long time, then it is better to buy a capacitive heater of 50-100 liters to provide hot water for the whole family.

As you can see, it's quite easy to decide the choice, if you know exactly when and how much you will use the water heater. We hope, now you set your priorities and answered the original question yourself.