Water Heater break often

[Patrik95]

Hi, 

 

we live in a house with 3 bathrooms where all bathrooms have a Mazuma 8000W water heater installed. The water heater is connected to the sink and the shower.

 

We have been living in this house for about 3 years and had to replace all 3 water heaters once already. Now one of the replacements (14 months old) already stopped working again. It was installed by HomePro in June 2021, repaired by HomePro in February and now we would have to deal with the manufacturer.

 

What is your experience with water heaters? Also do we really need 8000W? It really starts to be annoying as these units cost like 7000-8000 Baht each.

Thank you in advance for sharing your experience.

[KhunLA]

Had 3 Mazuma products, all c r a p.  Electrolux fan now.

 

8000w ... good for making coffee.  Had that German brand at 1 house, 8000w, excellent, and yes, would brew tea at closest faucet.  That one unit,  served kitchen/2 baths, 2 at distance, and water came out nice & hot, if needed.  Definitely nice when nearing 10C outside.

[Crossy]

Our first Mazuma 8kW unit lasted 7 years.

 

Replaced with "same" - Error!

 

Firstly the "same" but slightly later design has the fixing holes in different places! Sort of negating the reason for getting it.

 

Managed 2 years. This one I fixed (overheat switch pinched from the earlier failed unit) which has a failed heater (yes, this sad individual keeps failed stuff for far longer than is healthy).

[VocalNeal]

Go with Stebel. I was happy with mine but have moved since. 

[Encid]

To properly size a demand water heater, you need to determine the flow rate and the temperature rise you'll need for its application in your home.

 

If you don’t know the flow rate, you can estimate it by holding bucket under the shower head and measure the flow for a minute.

The flow rate through the water heater should ideally be around 10-12 litres per minute.

This of course can be managed to suit personal preference at the shower hot water tap or mixer valve.

 

To determine temperature rise, subtract the incoming water temperature from the desired output temperature.

Unless you know otherwise, assume that the incoming water temperature is 20ºC or you can also estimate the temperature by holding a thermometer under a cold-water tap. 

For most uses, you'll want your water heated to a maximum temperature of around 40ºC, again this of course can be managed to suit personal preference at the shower hot water tap or mixer valve.

Side note: be cautious of possible water temperatures above 40ºC because it increases the possibility of scalding. 

 

In this example, you'd need a water heater that produces a temperature rise of 20ºC for most uses.

However in cool season the desired temperature rise or differential may increase to around 30ºC, particularly in the northern provinces where it gets down to single figures at night.

 

Having said that, an 8kW demand water heater is really only needed if you have a bath or spa to fill, when a large quantity of very hot water is needed in a short period of time.

Most residences in Thailand would need water heaters sized from 3.5kW to 6kW to meet average family needs.

[Richard 2020]

I use a Fagor water heater, which brings hot water now for 20 years, without problems in my Condo!
In my house in Spain also for more than 25 years without problems !

[Patrik95]

Thank you everyone for your answers. Very helpful. 

 

So it seems that the quality of these products has deteriorated over the years. Maybe we will get it fixed by an "electrician" and if that doesn't work, we will switch to another brand, possibly with 6000 W, as we are in Hua Hin where the water doesn't particularly get cold - even in winter.

[Orinoco]

2 hours ago, Patrik95 said:

Thank you everyone for your answers. Very helpful. 

 

So it seems that the quality of these products has deteriorated over the years. Maybe we will get it fixed by an "electrician" and if that doesn't work, we will switch to another brand, possibly with 6000 W, as we are in Hua Hin where the water doesn't particularly get cold - even in winter.

If you are only using them for showers.

3,500w is fine for your location Hua Hin.

Ps could just buy a 3,500w  one and see what it's like. they are very cheap.

I just see you have it /them connected to a sink/ sinks , do you need this ?

 

 

 

.

 

 

[daveAustin]

Yes, wonder if potential low flow/high ambient temp is causing the ‘kettles’ to continually overheat… 

Also, when connected to the tap, these things are typically on and off very frequently. 8kw  seems high, especially for that area. Had 6kw Panasonics in Chiangmai which easily coped in cool season.  

[Encid]

On 8/26/2022 at 1:14 PM, Orinoco said:

I just see you have it /them connected to a sink/ sinks , do you need this ?

If he's anything like me he probably prefers to use hot water for shaving.

Shaving in cold water tends to give me razor burn and hot water seems to soften my facial hair.

In my case, having hot water available at the sink is a must-have.