Compare Tankless Water Heater Prices the Right Way

Before you compare tankless water heater prices, you first need to determine the right size tankless model for your home. If you choose a model whose capacity is too low, you won't have the hot water you require. If you choose a unit that is too large you will be paying a higher price than you need to.

The first factor that you need to consider in sizing a whole house water heater, is the hot water demand of your home. If you have a large household, and you use several hot water fixtures at the same time during peak usage times, you will need a more powerful tankless unit than a small household who only uses a shower and a hand basin at one time. Your plumber can assist you in determining your hot water demand in gallons per minute (gpm).

WATER SOFTENER COMPARISON

The second factor that you need to consider in determining the right size tankless model, is the average winter groundwater temperature in the area where you live. The lower the groundwater temperature, the more powerful the unit needs to be in order to raise the water temperature to your desired hot water temperature.

The capacity of a tankless water heater is always stated as the flow rate, in gallons per minute (gpm), that it can handle while instantly producing a particular temperature rise. For example, the Rinnai R75L has the capacity to handle a flow rate of 7.5 gpm (3 showers) while producing a temperature rise of 35 degrees Fahrenheit. For a temperature rise of 60 degrees it can only handle a flow rate of 5.0 gpm (2 showers). If you exceed the flow rate capacity of your model, you water will not be as hot as you would like it to be.

When marketing their tankless water heaters, many manufacturers inflate the ability of their models by only stating their warm groundwater water capacities. When you compare tankless water heater prices, you should, therefore, always compare the prices of units that have the capacity to satisfy your hot water demand at the required temperature rise for your area.

Tankless water heaters come in electric and gas models. At first glance it may appear that the electric models are cheaper, but when you compare the prices of models of the same capacity, you will find that the prices are fairly similar. You will notice that tankless gas units have much higher capacities than electric models.

When comparing prices you should consider tankless gas models manufactured by Noritz, Bosch, Rheem, Takagi, Rinnai and Paloma. The best electric tankless models to consider, are manufactured by Stiebel Eltron, Titan, Bosch, Eeemax and Seisco.

Finally, when you compare tankless water heater prices, you should also consider the installation costs. If you are replacing an electric or gas storage tank unit, you will need to upgrade your existing gas lines or electric supply. The electrical upgrades will generally be a lot cheaper than the required upgrades to gas lines and venting systems.

Compare Tankless Water Heater Prices the Right Way

WATER SOFTENER COMPARISON

Drinking Water Filters - How They Compare in Effectiveness, Required Maintenance, Speed and Cost

In this article, we will look at reverse osmosis, distillation and multi-media block filter systems. You will discover drinking water filters vary widely in effectiveness, required maintenance, speed of filtering, and cost per gallon of filtered water produced. You will also acquire the information you need to choose the best drinking water filter system for your family.

In my opinion, you can pick any of the drinking water filters, outside of your own body, and it is a good one. But some are much better than others.

WATER SOFTENER COMPARISON

First, let's look at the reverse osmosis (RO) system.

This system works by forcing water, under pressure, against a semi-permeable membrane which will remove any particles larger than a water molecule. At this stage the RO filter is really just an inefficient, costly pre-filter because:

1. RO systems won't remove chlorine, pesticides or many other toxic synthetic organic chemicals, whose molecular size is smaller than water's so they must be use in conjunction with carbon filters.
2. Even under the required water pressure, two-thirds or more of the water molecules cannot be forced through the membrane and go down the drain as wasted water.
3. RO systems are slow, yielding less than one gallon per hour of filtered water and, consequently, they require a storage tank to give an adequate supply of water.
4. The membrane in the filter will remove metals such as lead, but it also removes minerals our bodies need such as calcium, potassium and magnesium making the water acidic which some health officials consider "unhealthy" water.

The RO system requires considerable maintenance and produces comparatively expensive water at about 18 to 24 cents per gallon.

Next up is the distillation system (D)

Distillation is similar to nature's recycling system. In nature the sun heats the water; it evaporates and rises to the upper atmosphere, condenses in the cooler air and falls as rain.

In the D system, water is passed over a heated coil, the steam rises, goes into a cooling chamber (where the contaminants remain), and condenses back to a liquid.

This system is very effective against bacteria. Any bugs chlorine might have missed such as cysts like Cryptosporidium and Giardia (bad bugs), will be zapped by distillation.

And, yes, the D system will get the lead out, but, like the RO system, it removes the healthful trace minerals as well.

Again, like the RO system, chlorine and other toxic chemicals sneak by because they vaporize at a lower temperature than water, go up into the cooling chamber, condense and return with the water. Also, like the RO systems, D systems must be used in conjunction with a carbon filter.

Distillation, like reverse osmosis, is slow and wasteful, wasting up to 80 percent of the water used. Distillation produces filtered water at a cost of 20 to 26 cents per gallon.

Lastly, let's look at multi-media block filters.

In the earlier version of these filters, water was simply forced through a cylinder filled with granular activated charcoal (GAC), or carbon. Activated charcoal was used because it was recognized by the EPA as the best filtering media for removing chlorine, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs).

However, these first systems had a tendency to:

1. Allow some water to flow between the filter's walls and the carbon, so, not all the water was filtered and,
2. There was some concern about these filters not being capable of removing the tiny microbes such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, or the more difficult to remove chemical compounds.

Both of these issues were resolved with the introduction of multi-media block filter technology.

This technology utilized the advantages of the activated carbon by making it a part of a blended filter media with a sub-micron structure that is extruded or formed into a solid block.

This multi-media block filter system:

1. Removes VOCs and SOCs, which, by the way, make up most of our pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs, herbicides, pesticides, etc. that are increasingly appearing in our water systems, and,
2. Removes the tiny microbes and the more difficult to remove chemical compounds and,
3. The solid block construction prevents the water from channeling around the filter media.

Multi-media block filtration systems have now come to the forefront of drinking water filter technology.

These filters work simply, (no pumps or storage tanks are required). They are efficient, quick and very economical, producing a steady supply of good, safe water for less than 10 cents a gallon.

In my opinion, they are by far the best choice of the home drinking water filters.

Drinking Water Filters - How They Compare in Effectiveness, Required Maintenance, Speed and Cost

WATER SOFTENER COMPARISON

Compare Water Softeners - What To Look For When Purchasing A Water Softener

There are many different sites you can read about online today that compare water softeners. In fact, online marketing websites that sells other companies products also provide a comparison cost wise, function, durability, warranty and model.

These sites that compare water softeners look at variables such as whether or not the water softeners are automatic or manual, use a timer, their salt usage, etc. No matter what your home or budget, there are different water softeners available to suit your wallet and interior decoration.

WATER SOFTENER COMPARISON

Here is a list of some variables to watch out for when you are ready to compare water softeners to find the right one for your health:

When searching for tanks, make sure you realize that the mineral and brine tanks are virtually identical to the ones you can purchase at home improvement softeners. Always make sure the tank has a warranty period of 10 years, and preferably longer.

The control valves are an essential part of any water softener system. This important component keeps track of your water usage each week and is the determining factor for when to regenerate the resin bed.

Make absolutely sure that you understand how this component works and that the water softeners you are considering possesses workable control valves. Here is a breakdown of each kind of control valve, ad which one you should purchase for your next water softener system:

Disc valves are simply a rotary disk style control valve; these are the least expensive water softeners you can buy. However, least expensive doesn't always mean low quality. As with any appliance you are considering purchasing, it varies from company to company.

Piston valves will go through a number of spaces in order to determining when to regenerate the resin bed. These valves generally possess a very long life span, due to the short length of space it has to travel. Of course, with this generally comes a higher price tag. Make your decision accordingly.

There are several other kinds of water purifier systems available, but these are the most popular. Obviously, the more money you spend on one, generally speaking, the higher quality water you will receive, and the less often you will have to replace it. The best method to finding the right water softeners is to locate friends or family members already using a water softener system and ask them which one works out for them.

Often times, companies will attempt to pitch you on their particular product, and will obviously have a biased point of view. Your friends, however, often have tried more than one brand and know first hand how a particular companies' brand is working for them. Do your research, compare all the water softeners you can find, and choose the one that matches your interior design and your wallet.

Compare Water Softeners - What To Look For When Purchasing A Water Softener

WATER SOFTENER COMPARISON

How to Compare Water Treatment Systems

Look at all of your options when you compare water treatment systems. You can filter the water for you whole house, just what you drink or just what you shower in. There are benefits to each and there are, of course, some "pretenders" on the market.

I see more advertisements for Brita and PUR than for all of the other brands combined. They advertise in the Sunday paper. They have television commercials. They are sold in practically every department store and membership club. They aren't all they're cracked up to be.

WATER SOFTENER COMPARISON

Brita faucet filters do a little better job than the PUR equivalent, but if you compare water treatment systems for the kitchen, you will find that there are better options that cost less to use. Both Brita and PUR filters have a short life span, so the cost of use is about 20 cents a gallon.

You can cut that cost in half if you buy the right system.

Neither of the popular brands removes THMs or VOCs. THMs or trihalomethanes cause cancer.
VOCs are volatile organic compounds. Exposure causes a variety of health problems. VOCs are common surface and groundwater contaminants, but THMs are always present whenever chemicals are used for disinfection. To provide a system that removes chlorine and does not remove THMs is illogical, but there are a number of different brands on the market that do just that.

If your water is chlorinated, you should know that THM exposure occurs in the shower. The chemicals enter the bloodstream at a higher rate than they do if consumed. So, you need to also compare water treatment systems for the shower.

When you do, you'll see that the price difference is truly amazing. Most cost less than a hundred bucks, but one costs over two hundred. What's the difference, that's what I wanted to know?
The most expensive shower filters are made by Wellness Enterprises. They claim that their products are the best because they use "rare Japanese stones" to "imbue your water with health giving qualities". If you think that sounds a little silly, you're right. Running it over a bunch of stones does nothing to imbue a liquid with anything.

On the other hand, running it over granulated carbon and a multimedia block removes chlorine, THMs, VOCs and a variety of other chemical contaminants. You may want to compare water treatment systems for the whole house. It could be more cost effective in the long run.
They cost more initially than say one purification device for the kitchen and another for the shower, but if you have a big family or a large home, you may end up needed three or four showerhead filters. That can become expensive to purchase and replace the filters. Plus, keeping up with a replacement schedule for all of them could get difficult.

Hopefully, the information above will help you compare water treatment systems and make the right choice for your family.

How to Compare Water Treatment Systems

WATER SOFTENER COMPARISON