[Question] Water heating choice for guest bathroom

[debtcollectorZA]

We are busy extending our house by adding two bedrooms and a bathroom to our existing 3 bed two bathroom house.

The new extension is quite far from the existing 200l solar geyser, so adding its own water heating makes sense. The new bathroom will see very limited use, but it would still be nice to have hot water available at the drop of a hat when needed, without having thrle geyser on all the time.

I never owned a on-demand gas geyser, but at every single guest house or holiday resort they had these the experience has been horrible. They ether don't have enough warm water to shower or the wind blows out the flame 5 times during a 10 minute shower going from warm to freezing water in a second.

Would a small electric geyser warm up in reasonable time and stay warm for two or three consecutive showers?

How well does those 25l interior geysers work?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[ians]

I am also looking into an instant water heater for a shower ... just for one shower ... there is a exisitng water heater ... but it doesnt seal ... its in the shower cubicle and trips because the water leaks into the unit.

I have ahd really bad experiences with speed heat units ... I kept the box and receipt on the clipboard so that every six months I could replace it when it was faulty.

We go to Injusuti every year ... they have an indoor gas geyser in the self catering units ... we have never had a problem with hot water.

[Derlyn]

see https://www.theforumsa.co.za/forums/...d-conductivity

The only instant showerhead that can be legally wired through the earth leakage without it tripping, is the Speed Heat.
It now has a metal sheathed element, much the same as a geyser element, thus eliminating the earth leakage tripping problem.

Stay away from those units with an open spiral element that comes into direct contact with the water. Tried them ( headaches )
When Speed Heats first came out, they had uninsulated elements but the new upgraded units are great.

I'd go with the 5Kw unit. The 2,5 Kw unit in my opinion is a bit " lig in die broek " for the cold, winter months.

Peace out ... Derek

[Justloadit]

5Kw at 230V is a hefty amount of instant amps.

usually the problem with in line gas heaters, are that they are incorrectly sized and installed.
The newer units do not need electricity to run, and have batteries which are used to ensure the striker fires when required.
The whole of Europe is based on in line gas heaters, so I am sure if they did not work, they would have been thrown out.

The secret is to ensure that the correct amount of water passes through the heating coil to heat the water to the temperature required, and maintains a constant flow rate. So if a too small system is chosen, then there is insufficient heat transferred by the boiler.

It will also improve operation, if the hot water is cladded from the point it exits the heater all the way to the mixing tap.

[Derlyn]

5Kw at 230V is a hefty amount of instant amps.

usually the problem with in line gas heaters, are that they are incorrectly sized and installed.
The newer units do not need electricity to run, and have batteries which are used to ensure the striker fires when required.
The whole of Europe is based on in line gas heaters, so I am sure if they did not work, they would have been thrown out.

The secret is to ensure that the correct amount of water passes through the heating coil to heat the water to the temperature required, and maintains a constant flow rate. So if a too small system is chosen, then there is insufficient heat transferred by the boiler.

It will also improve operation, if the hot water is cladded from the point it exits the heater all the way to the mixing tap.

Hello Brother.

Yep. 5Kw at 240V = Approx 20 Amp.
You know, us sparkies work on 4 Amps per Kw.

My unit has a 25A breaker and is wired with 4mm T&E.

Some stats comparing an electric shower head verses a gas geyser.

Gas geyser

Presently LP Gas costs around about R25.55/Kg
A 10 Litre gas geyser from Kexin uses 1,55kg/h ( from the Kexin stats sheet )
1,55 x R25.55 = R39.60/hr for the gas geyser.

Electric showerhead.

5 Kw
Here in our valley electricity costs R2.40/KwH ( the most expensive in SA )
5 x R2.40 = R12/hr.

R39.60 verses R12. No comparison.

Electric shower head still the cheapest way to have a hot shower.

I know it doesn't sound as if it can be true, but believe me, it is.

It does, however, have its disadvantages. When there's a blackout, you gonna have a cold shower.

Peace out .. Derek

[Justloadit]

There is also the electrical installation cost to take into consideration, especially if the supply cable must be increased to accommodate the load.

As with any project, price versus convenience is the deciding factor.