Electric boilers for heating: pros and cons, choose a model

Residents of apartments who have decided to abandon central heating, as well as owners of private houses, have plenty to choose from. For autonomous heating, gas and electric systems are used - boilers, underfloor heating, infrared and oil heaters, convectors. In medium or large rooms, it is advisable to install boilers that run on electricity or gas. Let's look at the first type of heaters, the features of their installation in an apartment, the selection rules, as well as all the pros and cons that electric boilers have.

How to abandon central heating and switch to individual heating, it is written here.

Why is an electric heating boiler better than a gas boiler?

Despite the fact that gas is a cheaper source of energy than electricity, the installation of gas equipment is not always preferable. The main obstacles to the installation of a boiler of this type are:

• Difficulties with obtaining permission, coordination and preparation for installation. The room must be properly organized ventilation system and removal of combustion products.
• The high cost of equipment and the complexity of installation. And if we are talking about a private house where gas is not supplied, then the costs increase significantly.
• Potential danger of the fuel itself and its combustion products.

Advantages of electric heating installations

Electric boilers have a lot of advantages, including:

• High reliability in terms of fire safety (of course, subject to the availability of high-quality wiring and fuses).
• Low installation cost, easy installation.
• Wide price range, choice of features. In general, electric models are cheaper than gas ones. You can choose the simplest boiler, consisting of a set of heating elements and a primitive control system, which will be very cheap. In the absence of financial restrictions, it is worth paying attention to automated devices. They are able to maintain the set temperature with minimal energy consumption and have several programming modes, a GSM controller that allows you to control the operation of the device from a distance, and other useful options.
• Compact and aesthetic. In many modern models, all the necessary elements - a circulation pump, an expansion tank, an air vent, protection systems - are hidden inside the case. If desired, the electric boiler can be installed in any room of the apartment. The most common wall-mounted varieties.

• Ease of use. To control the device, you only need to press a few buttons. Electric boilers do not need control and participation in their work.
• Noiselessness. The owners can only hear the quiet hum of the induction device or the buzz of automation units.
• No need for coordination with the relevant organizations with a device power not exceeding 9 kilowatts.
• High efficiency.

Cons and difficulties of operating electric boilers

The advantages of electric boilers look attractive. But they also have drawbacks, and very significant ones.

• High cost of electricity.

Note! Costs can be reduced by several times by insulating the apartment, using feed-in electricity tariffs and choosing a device with fine adjustment.

• Requirements for the type of radiators. It is uneconomical to use cast iron and steel batteries in an electrically heated system. It is advisable to choose bimetallic or, in extreme cases, aluminum heaters.
• Complete dependence on the power supply.
• Demanding quality and composition of the coolant.
• When installing equipment that consumes more than 9 kW, a three-phase 380 V network will be required instead of the standard 220 V network.If it is not in the apartment, you need to obtain a special permit for the arrangement, which is not always possible in old houses.

Before deciding on the purchase and installation of an electric boiler, you need to weigh all the pros and cons, calculate the approximate monthly electricity consumption and think about how significant it will be for the budget.

Choosing an electric boiler

If you decide to buy an electrical device, it's time to start looking for a suitable model. The efficiency of the heating system, as well as the amount of monthly electricity bills, depends on the correct choice.

Types of boilers by type of heater

All electric boilers can be divided into 3 types according to the type of liquid heating principle used.

Electric boilers with heating elements (tubular heaters)

Such boilers work on the same principle as most household electrical appliances - kettles, boilers, irons. They are most in demand among consumers and are represented by a wide variety of models. There can be several heating elements, and they are switched on together or one by one.

Pros:

• simplicity of design;
• circuit reliability, ease of repair.

Minuses:

• high inertia of boilers - slow heating at start-up;
• exactingness to the quality of the coolant. The tendency to form scale, which reduces the heating efficiency, requires special measures. You can install anode rods that will collect salt deposits on themselves, and change them at certain intervals, like the heating elements themselves. But it is better to use specially prepared water or a special coolant.

Induction devices

Induction boilers are energy-efficient and reliable devices that can work for years without maintenance and repair.

Pros:

• thanks to the phenomenon of self-induction, they significantly save electricity (up to 30% during the heating season);
• undemanding to the composition of the coolant (scale does not appear in such boilers);
• service life - from 30 years, the probability of breakage due to the design features is very small;
• fast heating of the coolant;
• the possibility of fine adjustment.

Minuses:

• large mass (from 30 kg) - strong brackets are used for hanging, the wall must be able to withstand the load;
• circulation pump, expansion tank, safety group are purchased and installed separately;
• relatively high cost;
• vibration noise during operation.

Ionic (electrode) heating boilers

Such devices heat the coolant by applying voltage through the electrodes, as a result of which the molecules are ionized and move towards the conductor with a different polarity. In a single-phase network, one electrode is used in the form of a rod, the surface of a metal cylinder acts as the second, and 3 electrodes at a three-phase voltage.

The sizes of ion boilers vary from very small, capable of heating only one battery, to large installations designed for a large house. Are issued both in the case, and without it.

Pros:

• compactness. The device without a case takes up little space;
• high-speed heating of the coolant;
• low inertia, enabling very fine adjustment;
• resistance to voltage drops;
• high level of safety - in the absence of a coolant in the boiler, it simply cannot work;
• low price (without control unit, pump and expansion tank).

Minuses:

• complete incompatibility with steel and cast iron batteries;
• exactingness to the quality of the circulating fluid, which must have a balanced composition. It is recommended not to do it yourself, but to purchase ready-made;
• the need for a specialist to check the condition of the coolant before the new heating season;
• special requirements for the ground loop;
• heating temperature - not higher than 75 ° С;
• the need to replace the electrodes at regular intervals.

Single-circuit and double-circuit boilers: what's the difference?

Let's look at the differences between the two modifications of these units.

1. Single-circuit boilers are designed only for space heating. At the same time, an indirect heating boiler can be connected to all modern boilers and hot water supply can be provided.
2. Double-circuit, in addition to participating in the heating system, heat water for domestic needs. Their design provides for an additional heat exchanger, which can be flow-through or accumulative - in the form of a built-in water-heating tank.

Note! A double-circuit boiler cannot work on 2 circuits at the same time. When the hot water tap is opened, the heating of the heat carrier for heating stops.

We briefly describe their advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of a single-circuit boiler:

• relatively low cost;
• high efficiency and high power;
• lower power consumption (without a boiler).

Minuses:

• if necessary, heat the water will have to install an additional boiler;
• together with an indirect heating boiler, the design looks bulky and unaesthetic.

Advantages of a dual-circuit device:

• fairly compact size;
• simple installation.

Minuses:

• instability of water pressure and temperature;
• high requirements for the quality of the coolant, maintenance;
• great cost.

Note! If we compare the prices for a double-circuit boiler and for a device with one circuit and an additional boiler, then the first one will be cheaper.

It is difficult to say which boiler is better. If it is important to save electricity, as well as space in the apartment, you should choose a double-circuit variety. This device heats water only when it is needed, single-circuit will turn on every time after the liquid has cooled. At the same time, a single-circuit boiler is considered more reliable and convenient to use.

Advice. If an automated boiler has an additional storage tank, it can be programmed to heat water at night, when electricity rates are lower. During the day, when the cost of electricity is higher, you can use already heated water.

Power

The power of the boiler is its most important characteristic, which means that you need to choose it correctly. Sometimes it is tied to the footage and calculated based on the value of 1 kW per 10 m2. This formula is only good for a very rough estimate.

In fact, you need to focus on heat loss. If, for example, they are 8 kW, then you need a boiler of the same power. The calculations take into account:

• area and height of the room;
• the degree of insulation of walls, floors, ceilings;
• the number of external walls and their location on the cardinal points;
• number, size and type of windows;
• battery connection diagram;
• region of residence and other parameters.

To correctly calculate the power of the boiler, it is recommended to use special calculators or seek advice from a heat engineer.

Additional functions

The following functions of electric boilers can be useful:

• protection systems - from overheating, short circuit, overpressure;
• the ability to install a GSM controller that will allow you to remotely adjust the temperature in the apartment, change the boiler settings, send notifications about possible problems;

• a control unit with energy-saving modes that allow you to lower the temperature at certain intervals - at night, when residents are not at home;
• smooth power adjustment. This option is more convenient and more profitable than the stepped one.

Note! Often control units are not included in the package of electric boilers. In this case, they will have to be purchased separately.

Popular Models

Among the variety of brands, the leading positions in the ranking are occupied by the following manufacturers:

• Protherm (Slovakia),
• Vaillant (Germany),
• Kospel (Poland),
• Buderus (Germany).

Among Russian brands, buyers prefer 4 brands, including:

• "TEPLODAR"
• "EVAN"
• ZOTA,
• RusNIT.

The best models from the category of medium power boilers that are suitable for apartments, based on user reviews:

• Teplodar Sputnik 6 (8.1 thousand rubles);
• RusNit 208M (average price - 16 thousand rubles);
• EVAN Warmos-IV-5 (16.5 thousand rubles);
• ZOTA 12 Lux (21.4 thousand rubles);
• Kospel EKCO L2 12 (37 thousand rubles);
• Protherm Skat 12 KR 13 (32.5 thousand rubles);
• Vaillant eloBLOCK VE 12 (35 thousand rubles);
• Buderus Logamax E213-10 (9.3 thousand rubles).

 

Conclusion: some useful tips

Electric boilers are credited with 2 main drawbacks: the high cost of operation and frequent breakdowns. But if you approach the matter wisely, these problems can be solved. A programmable boiler will help reduce the cost of heating, allowing you to reduce power when necessary, the use of preferential tariffs, and thorough insulation of the apartment. And so that the device does not break and serve for a long time, you should take care of installing a stabilizer, an inlet water filter, and do not forget about regular maintenance.