Structural plumbing is actually made up of two systems: the water system that comes into the home for drinking, cooking and washing and the drainage system for wastewater. Building codes specify how each system must be installed.
Water Heaters
- Gas water heaters are very popular. These units have an insulated tank where water is heated and stored until it is needed. They offer fast recovery times and can offer more economy over electric water heaters. The standing pilot light gas water heater has a pilot light which remains lit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and consumes gas to stay lit, while a gas-fired water heater with electronic ignition only lights a pilot light when it necessary to fire the main burners.
- Electric water heaters are also storage tank units and are very popular because they are inexpensive and easy to install. Electric heat is 100 percent efficient, but the cost per KWH of electricity is more than the cost of using a gas-fired water heater. Electric hot water heaters are also slow to recover as compared to gas-fired water heaters. However maintenance of the electric water heater is easier as it requires very little maintenance.
· Tankless hot water heaters are basically "on-demand" water heaters. When the consumer opens the hot water faucet, a flow switch senses the flow of water, and the water heater fires up and begins heating the water passing through its heat exchanger. Within seconds hot water comes out of the faucet. There is no tank to maintain or worry about leaking in the future. These systems are economical and last many more years than a regular water heater with a tank. They require little maintenance. Since they are on-demand, the tankless water heater only uses fuel when hot water is needed.
· Solar hot water heaters are generally composed of solar thermal collectors, a fluid system to move the heat from the collector to its point of usage. The system may use electricity for pumping the fluid and have a reservoir or tank for heat storage and subsequent use. The systems may be used to heat water for a wide variety of uses, including home, business and industrial uses.
Many people who use hot water boilers for their heat also use a domestic hot water coil in their boiler, which produces hot water for domestic use. The hot water boiler domestic coil is located inside the boiler heat exchanger and uses a constant supply of water which it heats as it passes through the coil. This water supply is separate from the water supply which is in the boiler loop. It is not the same water and has a different pressure than the water which is used for heating the home.
