Five medium volume boilers with good corrosion protection

Water heater Atlantic Steatite VM 80 D400-2-BC looks like a regular household class electric boiler. In fact, despite some elegance (the French pedigree of the Atlantic company affects), nothing special is noticeable from the outside - a typical cylindrical boiler with a mechanical regulator and a round dial temperature indicator. And the characteristics are quite ordinary: power is 1500 W and water is heated to the maximum possible 65 ° C in 2 hours and 45 minutes. But a lot of interesting things are hidden under the snow-white glossy body. Immediately under the plastic shell is a layer of effective thermal insulation made of high-density polyurethane foam. It "envelops" a steel tank that holds 75 liters of liquid (quite enough to provide hot water to the average family). The tank is made of fairly thick steel (1.8 mm) and covered with enamel, which prevents direct metal contact with water, protecting the tank from corrosion.

The most remarkable details of the boiler are hidden inside the tank. There are a magnesium anode, which helps the water heater last longer, and a “dry” heating element. The dry heating element, developed and patented by Atlantic, is a steel flask, inside of which there is a set of several heating coils and a couple of dozens of steatite blocks. This design of the heating element provides faster water heating (even compared to conventional tubular "dry" elements, not to mention "wet" heating elements) and significantly reduces the possibility for the development of corrosion processes that destroy the boiler tank from the inside. A combination of three protective systems (enamel, anode and a “dry” heating element) plus other solutions (for example, a dielectric coupling on a hot water pipe) allow the manufacturer to give an 8-year warranty on the tank of this boiler (among Atlantic water heaters, only a few models have such a large warranty) and 2 years for the electrical part. It should be noted that warranty obligations remain only under the condition of regular and timely service maintenance. But the boiler can be cleaned not every year (like most other water heaters), but once every 2 years due to the fact that less scale is formed in the tanks of devices with “dry” heating elements. Therefore, Atlantic Steatite VM 80 D400-2-BC is particularly well suited for hard water regions.

Although it is difficult to come up with something new in the design of storage boilers (which are, roughly speaking, a steel tank with an electric heating element), there is some progress even in this area. The Hotpoint-Ariston PRO1 ECO 80V DRY HE boiler, for example, boasts a clever system for distributing cold water along the bottom of an 80-liter tank. It reduces the mixing of liquid layers with different temperatures and, according to the manufacturer, increases the amount of hot water available to the user by 16%. The "proprietary" titanium enamel on the walls of the storage tank belongs to the same original innovations. Ariston claims that it protects the metal better, and scale adheres to it less than to a conventional enamel coating.

But the main "trick" of this boiler is that it is equipped with two "dry" heating elements (each of the two has a power of 900 W). The reliability of “dry” heating elements is higher than that of “wet” ones, and the service life is longer. In addition, they significantly reduce the destructive effect of electrochemical corrosion on the tank. Yes, and scale in a water heater with a “dry” heating element forms much less. In addition, larger magnesium anodes are installed in this series of boilers (compared to other Hotpoint-Ariston water heaters). They can be changed every two years (that is, half as often as usual). "Dry" heating elements, an enlarged anode and high-quality enamel together provide such good protection that the manufacturer gives a fairly large warranty on the Hotpoint-Ariston PRO1 ECO 80V DRY HE - 7 years for the tank and 2 years for other parts.

At the bottom of the housing is an electronic control panel with touch buttons and LEDs indicating different operating modes. In addition to manually controlling the heating temperature (setting a value from 40 ° C to 80 ° C), the user can activate the “smart” mode, which Hotpoint-Ariston calls ECO EVO. It lies in the fact that the technique for some time studies your habits (schedule for using hot water and its consumption), analyzes and remembers them, and subsequently uses the accumulated information to heat water only when it is needed, and not waste extra electricity . The manufacturer claims that electricity consumption in "smart" mode is reduced by an average of 14%. One of the buttons on the control panel (a thermometer icon is drawn next to it) is designed to activate the T-MAX function. It heats the water once to 65 ° C, and then the boiler returns to the previous mode. This function is used if at any time you need a little more hot water than usual. And the LED with an icon next to which a man is drawn under the shower head means that there is enough heated water in the device tank so that at least one person can take a shower.

It should be mentioned that the touch buttons do not have a tactile "response" - it will be very unusual for conservative users. It is also important to know that the boiler has a lot of settings, and it is difficult to understand them. For example, the “anti-legionella” function, which is “sewn” into electronic “brains”, can be turned off, but without an instruction manual, you will never guess which key combination and for how many seconds you need to press to do it. Therefore, this boiler is highly not recommended for people who are not friends with technology. This category of users is better suited Hotpoint-Ariston PRO1 R 80 V 1.5 K PL DRY, which also has a “dry” heating element, but more traditional mechanical control.

It is also interesting to note that the water heater in question has an almost complete "twin" - Hotpoint-Ariston BLU1 ECO 80V 1.8K PL DRY. They are completely identical in device, "stuffing" and characteristics and differ only in the color of the control panel (one boiler has it black, the other has dark blue). A small difference in cost between them is explained only by different pricing policies of online stores.

Under the body of the Gorenje GBF 80 SMV9 boiler, made in the form of a classic white cylinder, there is a 76-liter tank. Between it and the body is a layer of finely dispersed polyurethane foam, which perfectly keeps heat. Looking inside the tank (for example, during cleaning, which is recommended to be done once a year), you can find an enamel coating on the inner walls of the tank, a magnesium anode and two tubes with "dry" heating elements. Each heating element has a power of 1000 W (thus, the total power of the boiler is 2000 W). Despite the fact that there are two heaters, there is no way to turn them on manually separately (only automation can do this, which will be discussed below).

A dark rectangle visually stands out on the front of the snow-white body - an electronic control unit (for those who prefer the "classic", a Gorenje GBF 80 UA boiler similar in characteristics is produced with a conventional mechanical wheel, which costs a little less). There are two physical buttons on the panel. One of them allows you to change the temperature settings with the help of repeated pressing. Focus on the icons indicating different modes: "palm" corresponds to a temperature of 35 ° C, the word Eco - economical 57 ° C, and wavy lines - the maximum possible 75 ° C. The second button activates "smart" mode. It works in this way: throughout the week, the device “monitors” your habits and remembers at what hours and in what volume you use hot water. Then he optimizes his work so as not to waste excess electricity. According to the manufacturer's measurements, this water heater saves about 17% when the "smart" mode is on (however, it should be noted that during the measurements "ideal" cases are considered, but in practice the savings are usually less). Due to "smart" automation, the Gorenje GBF 80 SMV9 boiler belongs to class B in terms of energy consumption (most water heaters of the same volume belong to class C - one step lower). The control panel also allows you to turn on the "anti-freeze" mode - the boiler will keep the water barely warm (about 10 ° C) so that it does not freeze. But the “anti-legionella” function (heating water for a couple of hours to a temperature of 70 ° C, in order to guarantee the destruction of harmful bacteria in the tank) works completely automatically, it is impossible to turn it off.

Talking about the electronic control panel (which, by the way, is used on many modern Gorenje boilers), one cannot ignore a few facts. Let's start with the pleasant: its LEDs are quite bright. If the heater is installed in the bathroom, you can safely go to the toilet at night without turning on the overhead light. Unpleasant features include an indistinct temperature indication. Since the same ladder of LEDs is used both to set the temperature and to display its current value, it is difficult to understand what exactly it shows when the user presses the buttons. In addition, many are unnerved by the lack of a heating indicator - it is not clear whether the device is currently heating water or not (after all, it works almost silently, and it is difficult to determine by sound). It should also be borne in mind that the Gorenje GBF 80 SMV9 boiler in online stores is usually sold without a power cable - you need to buy a wire of the required length yourself (with a cross section of at least 1.5 mm2) and connect it correctly to the terminals. However, these minor shortcomings are completely covered by the fact that a huge guarantee is given for the tank of this heater - as much as 10 years (and for the electrical part - 2 years). Such a long warranty period indicates that the manufacturer is firmly confident in the durability and reliability of its products.

At first glance, it is noticeable that the Zanussi ZWH/S 80 Azurro PRO Wi-Fi is different from most electric water heaters. While almost all competitors are quite "pot-bellied", this boiler has a very slender shape. It has a flat body (only 350 mm deep), thanks to which the device takes up less space. It can be hidden in a shallow niche or even built into a kitchen set or a cabinet in the bathroom (especially since the design of the water heater allows its installation in two ways - in a vertical or horizontal position). Despite the modest size of the boiler, a tank of 80 liters is hidden inside it - it is quite enough for a family of 2 - 4 people not to experience a shortage of hot water. The accumulative tank is covered with enamel from the inside and has an effective anode protection. Therefore, the manufacturer gives an 8-year warranty on the tank.

But this boiler is not only remarkable for its design. His "insides" are no less interesting than his appearance. A system of two "dry" heating elements is installed inside the storage tank. They can work separately or together. Due to this, the user can choose one of several power modes: 700 W, 1300 W or 2000 W. To configure the device, a control panel is used, which consists of a thermostat in the form of a “twist”, which allows you to adjust the temperature in the range from 35 ° C to 75 ° C, and a small LED display. Using the control panel, you can also turn on the anti-freeze function (the temperature in the tank will be maintained at about 5 ° C) and set the timer(the boiler will control the heating elements in such a way as to save electricity and prepare hot water exactly at the set hour). But the anti-legionella function (which is called the Bacteria Stop System in the Zanussi water heater line) cannot be disabled. She herself from time to time will heat the water in the tank to 70 ° C to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria that can start in warm water. Other interesting features include built-in electrical protection (very useful if you do not have an RCD in the switchboard).

Although the Zanussi ZWH/S 80 Azurro PRO Wi-Fi water heater is slightly more expensive than most competitors, it is far ahead of them in terms of functionality. What is the ability to control the boiler over the Internet using a smartphoneon which a special application is installed. A program called Hommyn (you can download it from Google Play or the App Store) allows you to remotely adjust the temperature and power modes, turn on individual functions and activate the timer. But it should be noted that in order to control via the Internet, it is required to correctly configure the boiler and ensure its stable connection with the router, which distributes a signal via Wi-Fi, and not all users can immediately figure out the instructions. But this application is compatible not only with Zanussi, but also with many models of climate control equipment Electrolux, Ballu, Royal Thermo and some other brands.

The Czech company Drazice is known for not saving on thermal insulation. The thickness of the heat-saving layer in the latest generations of household water heaters manufactured by this company is at least 42 mm (for most other manufacturers, as a rule, within 25-30 mm). And the Drazice OKHE 80 boiler has even more. Due to the rectangular shape of the device, even more polyurethane foam climbed between the enameled tank and the walls of the case - from 42 mm at the narrowest point to 90 mm at the corners (on average, the layer thickness is 55 mm). Therefore, the water heater has low heat loss and keeps water hot for a long time. Thanks to a powerful heating element (2200 W), the liquid in the tank heats up very quickly (75 liters of water heat up from 10 ° C to 60 ° C in just two hours). A "dry" ceramic heating element in a steel sleeve welded to the flange is used as a heating element. Its design provides increased reliability of the heater and reduces the amount of scale in the tank (this is especially important for regions and areas with hard water). It should be mentioned that Drazice has more than 50 years of experience in working with "dry" heating elements, so their design and production technology are thought out to the smallest detail. The company gives a 5-year warranty for boiler tanks with "dry" heating elements.

The boiler control panel looks nice and modern, in high-tech style, but in fact it is quite simple (all the “high technology” went to the more expensive lines of OKHE ONE and OKHE SMART boilers). What looks like a display in the photos of the Drazice OKHE 80 boiler is actually a beautiful glossy plug with a single LED that turns on when the water is heated. And to set the temperature, a completely traditional thermostat in the form of a wheel is used. It has several provisions. The inscriptions MIN and MAX mean the lower and upper limits of the settings (5 °С and 80 °С, respectively), the snowflake icon means the frost protection function (10 °С), and the green leaf means the optimal (from the point of view of the manufacturer) temperature regime (about 55 °C), in which the heater consumes the least amount of electricity in a normal daily cycle.

The body of the Drazice OKHE 80 boiler, having dimensions of 740x520x550 mm, is slightly smaller in width and depth than the diameter of round water heaters of similar characteristics. Therefore, a rectangular device takes up less space. In addition, due to the almost flat outer walls, it is excellent not only for installation in the corner of a room or recess in niches, but also for installation between bathroom furniture. The boiler is supplied with safety and check valves, mounting brackets and a set of fasteners, but there is no power cable (it must be purchased separately, based on the location of the heater, so that the wire reaches the socket or directly to the 16 A machine). The water connection is made from below through the mounting connections with a diameter of 3/4 "(for most other water heaters, the pipes have a diameter of 1/2"). Therefore, in order to avoid difficulties with installation, you need to immediately discuss this situation with the plumber who will install the boiler, and prepare the couplings and fittings of the desired type.