It’s unfortunate that South Africans don’t really get a choice when it comes to geyser elements. When you get a geyser installed you can expect the typical resistance wire element inside. Of course it’s not just the element that speaks to the efficiency of the geyser, but it does play the biggest part. Depending on how many you have, they can be the root of your high electricity prices. In this article we’ll be looking at an alternative option called Nuthermo Titanium Elements, which promise to be more effective, safer and convenient. This is how the traditional element stacks up to the latest product on the market.
Conventional Geyser Elements
If you’ve stayed in a house long enough, or if you’ve have problems with the geyser, you’ll have a basic idea of how the element inside it works. The technology behind it is based on resistance wire and it functions on a single dimension so-to-speak. A high surge of electricity is required to get it to a specific heat, where it will stay until the thermostat switches it off. Most geysers have two elements and both of them have to be under water when the heating takes place, seeings as the water temperature is what triggers the thermostat. If there isn’t any water the element will continue to heat until it ultimately burns out. If the thermostat fails, which is quite common for older geysers, it’s going to heat the water to boiling point. When this happens the water will start escaping from a safety valve.
Geyser Elements: The Pros
- They have a reputation for getting the job done
The Cons
- They use a lot of electricity to get the job done
- If the thermostat breaks they don’t shut off
- Dense scale build up decreases efficiency and boosts power usage
There’s no question that these types of geyser elements have served the South African community for several years, and they’ve done a good job so far. But with the economy as it is and the price of electricity constantly increasing, it’s time to make the switch. The biggest shame is that for so long they were mandatory in South African geysers.
Energy Efficient Elements
Based on PTC (Positive Temperature Co-efficient) technology, this Energy Efficient element uses ceramic chips to heat the water. The design is more compact than conventional designs and it can be installed in less than an hour. But the real magic lies within the automatic temperature control from the ceramic chips. Unlike a traditional element, the chips don’t need a thermostat to tell them when to stop heating. In other words, they can’t overheat and they don’t need to be in water to stay in a working condition. Thanks to the titanium material that is used the elements also last longer.
Pros
- Safer and more efficient
- Uses less electricity
- No scale build-up
- Durable and longer lasting
- Compact design
- Easy and quick to install
- Can easily be removed and installed in another geyser
Compared to conventional geyser elements there are no cons when using Nuthermo Titanium elements. In fact, they will decrease the geyser’s energy usage by up to 50% and still provide hot water.
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