Indirect Fired Tanks
The term indirect fired is a bit misleading since they are not “fired” at all. These work by indirectly heating potable domestic hot water through a bypass with the already hot water that the boiler makes to heat the house. They require no fuel lines and no venting, however, they require circulating pumps and connection to a boiler.
The main advantage of these tanks is that they can save up to 50% of your operating costs compared to conventional gas fired tank. They are simply designed with no moving parts, making them extremely reliable. At R&B Plumbing, we have found these are an excellent ad-on to an existing or new boiler installation. Click here for more information on indirect fired water heaters.
We recommend the following brands:
If you have to use an expensive power source like electricity to heat your water, why make it as efficient as possible. At R&B we think the Rheem Hybrid hot water heater with heat pump is the way to go. This technology uses the concept of a heat pump to make the unit twice as efficient as a standard electric water heater. A heat pump draws in the warm ambient air of the room, heats it by method of compression and uses that to effectively heat the water in the tank. Under regular demand, that can be all you need to heat the water. In periods of high demand the electric elements will be triggered. With this type of water heater you can also take advantage of the LiveSmart rebate that offers a $500 rebate for the installation of the energy star rated unit.
