There are several reasons why you might want to be able to heat water outdoors. Soil and grime dissolve in water at higher temperatures, and detergents could work more effectively in warmer water. Whether it’s washing your car or cleaning your garden equipment, your life can become a lot easier with an outdoor water heating system.
Moreover, if you have pets, you can easily bathe them outside instead of bringing them inside the house. You can also use hot water to treat your plants and get rid of any pests and unwanted weeds.
Of course, to first enjoy the benefits of hot water outdoors, you’ll need a water heating system. Here we’ve presented three eco-friendly ways to heat water outside that will save you energy.
Solar Water Heaters
Solar water heaters are an excellent, cost-effective alternative to traditional water heating systems. Instead of using expensive fossil fuels, they rely on natural sunlight to heat water. By installing a solar water heater in your yard, you will not only be saving money on gas bills but you can also significantly reduce your carbon emissions. Solar water heaters can meet almost all of your hot water needs throughout the summer.
If you live in a sunny area, this will be the best water heating system for you. Even though solar water heaters have a high upfront cost, they’re cheaper to maintain and can be expected to run for almost thirty-five years. The only con of solar water heaters is that they’re not suitable for places that don’t receive much sunlight.
Tankless Water Heater
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As the name suggests, tankless water heaters can directly heat water outdoors without keeping it in a storage tank. When you turn on the hot water tap, the cold water travels through a pipe in the heater and gets heated.
These water heaters either use propane, gas or electricity to heat up the water. However, they are more energy-efficient and cost-effective as compared to traditional storage tank heaters. They’re also known as “on-demand” water heaters, as they only heat water as and when required. When you turn off the tap, the water heater shuts down and hence saves you energy. Instead of constantly heating and reheating the same water in a big storage tank, these heaters only heat water at the point of contact.
There are several benefits of using tankless water heaters outdoors. For one, if your model has a recirculating pump, you have “instant” access to hot water and don’t need to wait for the water to heat. Also, these heaters don’t occupy a lot of space and can be installed almost anywhere. Since they only heat water when required, they use much less energy compared to bulky old storage tank heaters. Another plus point of these types of heaters is that they are cheaper to maintain in the long run, and they last longer compared to storage tank heaters.
Heat Pump Water Heaters
Heat pumps are a highly efficient and cost-effective way of heating water outdoors. They work by extracting energy from the surrounding air and using it to generate heat within the system. They basically work like a reverse refrigerator. However, instead of dumping the hot air from the inside out, these heat pumps draw hot air from the atmosphere to warm the inside.
At 300 to 400% efficiency, heat pumps use far less energy compared to electric water heaters and are a worthwhile investment. Unlike solar water heaters, they’re also cheaper to buy. You can also use them to heat the water in your swimming pool. However, one drawback of heat pumps is that they work best when the outside temperature is above freezing. For colder climates, they are not as efficient, but there are cold climate heat pumps that are quickly becoming more and more efficient.
Having hot water faucets outside your house is a blessing, and can definitely make your life easier. Not only will you be able to bathe your pets more effectively (no more messy bathrooms and paw marks on your floor) but you can also use it to clean your equipment more easily. By using the above-mentioned heaters, you can efficiently heat water outside your house.
Feature image: Mike; Image 1: Harry Grout
