HomeTank Heater- Parallel Vs Series Piping

Parallel Piping

Parallel installation uses heaters that are identical in both BTU input and storage capacity. Normally, parallel installation is used when there is a demand for large quantities of hot water over a short period of time, such as filling a large garden tub or back to back showers. Equipment being equal, two or more heaters connected in parallel will deliver more hot water than the same heaters connected in series. In a parallel configuration, the hot water demand is taken equally from each unit. For every gallon of hot water drawn from each unit, one gallon of cold water is introduced

into the water heater. Each heater will then perform the same amount of work to heat the cold water. Another important point of parallel installation is the length of the supply piping and delivery piping – they must all be the same length. In our experience this is preferred method and we see tanks piped this way last 2-3 times longer…

Series Piping

Series installation uses heaters that are not identical in both BTU input and storage capacity. An example might be when an expansion or addition is made in an application that will require additional hot water. For example, you add a new bathroom to your home. The existing system will not handle the demand and a new water heater must be installed. The new heater is not identical to the existing heater. In this example, series installation may be appropriate. When installing water heaters in series, the heater with the largest input (BTU or KW) should be the first heater in the series, at the cold-water inlet side of the system. Series installation draws hot water from one tank at a time. As hot water is drawn, it is taken from the last heater in the series. For every gallon of hot water drawn, preheated water is introduced into the last heater in the series and cold water is introduced into the first heater in the series. In a series configuration, the first heater, piped to the cold-water inlet, will do the majority of the work. The second (or remaining) heater will not work as hard because it receives preheated water, not cold water. The last heater in the series will do very little work. The hardest working unit always fails first or prematurely in our experience.

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