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Tankless Water Heater Marketing, Misinformation & Hype

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  • Tankless Water Heater Marketing, Misinformation & Hype

    I have seen women's magazine cosmetic's ads where in one full page fancy ad they boast theirs has micro crystals in it, then a few pages later, a different cosmetics manufacture boasts theirs is crystal free. Tankless water heater manufacturers have similiar hype, so let's sift through the hype.



    Copper v Stainless Steel heat exchangers.

    According to Takagi; Heat transfers 25 times more readily through copper than stainless steel. Consequently, for the same amount of heat transfer, stainless steel heat exchangers need to be larger than copper heat exchangers, leading to a larger pressure loss." This is confusing. Water is more or less incompressable, so how do you get a "pressure loss" if the force creating the pressure remains the same? Do they mean flow reduction?

    "At higher temperatures, it is the nature of stainless steel to become prone to a number of problems not usually experienced at room temperature. It is vulnerable to pitting corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC)."

    Stainless steel is NOT better for durability because it is harder. Hardness causes the material to become brittle. Stainless steel will crack after numerous cycles of thermal expansion/contraction, especially with chloride in the water. Copper heat exchangers are less brittle and better suited for expansion/contraction without cracking. Copper is also better with heat transfer."

    "In a dual heat exchanger design,corrosion is not a big concern in the non-condensing primary heat exchanger because no condensation forms on the exterior of the pipes. Stainless steel is unnecessary for this stage."

    "homeowners know all too well the damage caused by a failing water heater. It’s one of the dreaded nightmares of owning a home; coming home to water everywhere, leaking from a busted water heater. Not only is it disastrous, but all that water is wasted. With a tankless water heater, you no longer need to stress about this. Not only does it eliminate the need for stored up water, but they also last up to two times longer than traditional water heaters. This is an added green benefit, as that equates to a decrease in landfill waste."

    So called austenite v ferrite stainless steel exchanger material.

    "What Is Austenitic Stainless Steel? Austenitic stainless steel is defined by its crystalline structure. The term “austenitic,” in fact, refers to a crystalline structure. Like all types of stainless steel, it consists of iron that’s mixed with a small amount of chromium and carbon. Chromium is responsible for its corrosion-inhibiting properties. Austenitic stainless simply has a crystalline structure that’s reflected upon its unique characteristics.


    There are two subtypes of austenitic stainless steel: 200 series and 300 series, both of which contain a small amount of nickel in addition to their standard iron, chromium and carbon content. 200 series austenitic stainless steel simply contain a higher concentration of nickel.

    What Is Ferritic Stainless Steel? Ferritic stainless steel, on the other hand, is defined by a chromium content of 10.5% to 30%. All forms of ferritic stainless steel are made of at least 10.5% chromium. Iron is the main ingredient used in their construction. Nonetheless, ferritic stainless steel contains a higher concentration of chromium than austenitic stainless steel.

    It’s important to note that ferritic stainless steel can’t be hardened via heat treatment. Hot rolling, for instance, won’t harden ferritic stainless steel. Ferritic stainless steel can only be hardened via cold treatment, such as cold rolling. Even then, ferritic stainless steel is resistant to hardening. It may harden to some degree, but it won’t exhibit any substantial difference in hardness.


    "New, 25% thicker guage!" lol. I am not intereste din how mich thikcer the heat exchanger material is, I want to know the thickness expressed in guage, decimals or fraction before, then after.

    Built in descaling filter v without.

    Built in recirc pump and without. The recirc warranties are often 1/5th of the non recir versions. As an example, Nortiz on new tankless residential models, the exchanger warranty is reduced from 15 to 3 years if there is a circ pump in it. If you specficy their commercial tankless used for a reidnetial application, then its a full 15 years on the exchanger. Read the fine print!

    The claimed "Tankless Advantage". Some of the marketing claims are: "Endless hot water", "Energy Conservation", Compact Size"

    "Convenieence" "efficiency", cost, installation and maintenance.
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