Outdoor Tankless Water Heater - Advantages of Outdoor Models
By purchasing an outdoor tankless water heater you will not have to be concerned about the dangers of gas leakages within your home.
An exterior model is also cheaper to install.
Tankless gas models need to produce very high combustion temperatures so that they can instantaneously raise the temperature of incoming cold water to the desired temperature.
Because of the high heat of the exhaust gasses and their corrosive condensate, interior installations require expensive sealed stainless steel venting systems.
Outdoor models do not need a venting system at all.
In exterior models the exhaust vent is built into the front of the unit.
This makes installation much easier and cheaper.
All of the well known manufacturers of tankless gas models, such as Noritz, Bosch, Rheem, Rinnai and Takagi, make weatherproof outdoor tankless units that can use either natural gas or propane (LP gas).
These units are designed to be mounted on an outside wall of your home.
Most models incorporate freeze protection technology that will offer protection down to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
This will allow for outdoor installations in most climates.
In bathrooms that are some distance away from the main hot water heating supply, you get hot water delays.
One of the most effective ways of solving this problem is to install the heating unit close to the fixture it serves.
This is not always possible with gas models because of the dangers of gas leakages in restricted spaces.
You can, however, mount an outdoor tankless water heater on the exterior wall of your bathroom or kitchen.
It can then serve the fixtures inside.
In new constructions, homeowners often install two outdoor tankless units, one on either side of the house.
They then split the plumbing to avoid long pipe runs.
When installing an exterior model you need to insulate the pipelines.
You also need to maintain adequate clearances from doors and windows.
The required clearances is specified in you local building codes.
Tankless units usually come with a digital remote control.
The remote from outside models can be wired through the wall and installed close to the fixtures inside the house.
If you are concerned about the appearance of your outdoor tankless water heater, you can place it in a specially designed metal box which can be recessed into the outer wall of your home.
The front of the box can then be painted and textured to match your home's exterior surface.