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#22012 02/15/03 08:29 PM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 103
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jes Offline OP
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Anyone ever have experience with an EEMAX tankless water heater. Looked at one the other day. UL Listed. The heating element is a BARE nichrome coil IN the water stream!! Available in voltages up to 277 single phase and 480/277 three phase as far as I know. Any thoughts about having bare energized conductors in domestic water piping??

#22013 02/15/03 09:13 PM
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jes,
There shouldn't really be any problem with this type of system, as long as the whole Hot Water system is Earthed properly.
There is also the Electrode-Boiler system,
that uses the Electrical resistance of the water itself, to heat the water, this also uses bare, live "elements", in contact with the water.
Hope this helps. [Linked Image]

#22014 02/15/03 11:17 PM
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Electrode boilers were once fairly common in the U.K. for commercial use. The big 3-phase ones could run on 440V.

Personally, I've never been quite happy with the concept......

#22015 02/16/03 12:24 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
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Moderator
I'll agree with Paul — 1 megawatt+, 480V electrode boilers in industrial applications aren't that tough to find.

I don’t know if it's a requirement, but those I've come across in plants have used a dedicated secondary-unit substation with a medium-voltage-primary transformer.

#22016 02/16/03 09:06 AM
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jes Offline OP
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Industrial applications adide, I'm talking RESIDENTIAL here...say hooked up to your sink or shower!!

#22017 02/16/03 11:21 AM
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Conventional elec. water heaters with a blown heating element can cause all kinds of tingles when the system is poorly grounded/bonded.

#22018 02/16/03 11:43 AM
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For residential, I definitely don't like the idea, especially for feeding a tub or shower.

#22019 02/16/03 02:47 PM
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C-H Offline
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I know this type of tankless heaters with nichrome coils are common in some countries. Does anybody know how the "power showers" which are rather popular in the UK and Germany works?

I had a look at EEMAX homepage and in my always humble opinion, it appears like a low-cost alternative but if UL has approved it, it can't be blatantly unsafe, can it?

(I looked at the models on the Norway site and noticed that for the 40 Amp heater a 25A breaker and 4mm2 (#12) cable is the recommended minimum. A bit tight, in my humble opinion)

#22020 02/16/03 02:53 PM
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Test

#22021 02/16/03 08:44 PM
Joined: Dec 2002
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Those units (I call them demand units because they just warm the water on demand) are very popular in Puerto Rico and other parts of the carribean where homes don't need heat and don't have hot water tanks as a rule.
The most common unit is right in the shower head and cord & plug connected. It's just plugged into the outlet in the bathroom. BTW most of the bathroom outlets I've seen in that region are not GFCI protected.
OSHA Professor
Grizzy

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