Hot Water Tanks

The advantages and disadvantages of various options to consider

Natural draft gas hot water tanks

These units are inexpensive to buy and have a naturally aspirating burner and draft hood, connected to a vertical chimney vent. This type of equipment is more subject to combustion gas spillage than other models under negative house pressures. Because of their significant degree of air tightness, R-2000 Homes can easily experience negative pressures imposed by exhaust fans. For that reason, natural draft hot water tanks are not allowed in R-2000 Homes.

Induced draft gas hot water tanks

As implied by the name, these units have a fan installed on top that induces the movement of the combustion gases through a sealed plastic pipe out the sidewall of the house.

Most units' still use combustion and dilution air from inside the house but because of the combustion gas exhaust fan pressure, these units are not subject to backdrafting combustion gas spillage. They are most compatible with high efficiency condensing furnaces.

Direct vent gas hot water tanks

Direct vent or sealed combustion water heaters, bring all their combustion air in from the outdoors and vent their combustion gases out through a single concentric pipe. As there is no interconnection between the burner and house air, they are spillage resistant and work very well in R-2000 Homes.

Electric hot water tanks

Electric tanks use heating elements in the top and bottom of the tank to warm the water and are found installed in the majority of R-2000 Homes.

As they do not need to be vented, the tank can be located virtually anywhere in the house.

Depending on the current cost of natural gas, in Manitoba electric tanks are slightly more costly to operate and have a longer recovery period to heat up water under use.

For higher hot water consumption homes (whirlpool tub, etc.) a larger 60-gallon tank should be considered for installation. Under normal use, if a family's lifestyle has them bathing/showering at differing times of the day, a standard 40-gallon electric tank will rarely run out of hot water.