Siogreen IR260 Tankless Water Heater Review (July 2020)
The Ir260 At A Glance
Top perk> Best for an RV
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The SioGreen IR260 Infrared Electric Water Heater is one of the leading products from popular brand, Bosch that can resolve all the inconvenience you encounter with using hot water in your RV. It comes with a sleek, small design that allows it to be easily attached to the side of an RV. Since an RV is likely to be subjected to a variety of different water sources, we highly recommend using this unit.
This innovative water heater uses materials that resist the buildup of calcium and limescale, which requires minimal maintenance. With the ability to produce up to 2.0 GPM, you could even provide hot water for a shower with this small unit.
- Efficiency - 9.8/109.8/10
- Ease of Use - 9.8/109.8/10
- Value - 9.8/109.8/10
- Features - 9.6/109.6/10
SioGreen IR260
Cost: $$$
Model Number: IR260 POU
Weight: 6.75 pounds
Size: 14.3 x 12.8 x 4.4 inches
Water Flow Rate: 1.5 gallon per minute (GPM)
Flow Rate: 0.8 GPM
Usage: Single point
Power Source: Electric Infrared
Warranty: 10 years on quartz elements and 3 years on electric components
DETAILED REVIEW
Introduction
Tankless water heaters are becoming increasing popular as the best solution when it comes to accessing hot water on whenever you need it.
Apart from having a longer lifespan, tankless water heaters are generally more economical and environmentally friendly than traditional tanked heaters. They provide hot water on demand, for as long as you want it, and will significantly cut down the amount you spend on water and energy every month.
In fact many homeowners have already reported that their bill was drastically reduce to more than 30 percent when they replaced their old hot water tanks with tankless heaters. And it’s not surprising considering the fact that traditional tanked heaters use energy round the clock while tankless heater only use energy on demand (i.e., whenever you need hot water).
As a result, these devices have become one of the most important commodities in households. Their environmental friendliness, convenience and low power consumption makes them a worthwhile investment; one every homeowner is supposed to go for.
While tankless water are generally considered to be very useful, it’s still important to go for the best products if you want to enjoy the full range of benefits especially if you plan to go mobile with it such as a recreational vehicle (RV). Choosing the right device that can meet your specific needs will ensure you get the best value for your money. Unfortunately, it’s not always simple as it sounds.
There are numerous tankless water heaters in the market; finding one that will adequately meet your household needs will take more than an attractive sales promotion. It is advisable to know about what others are saying about a particular product before you decide to go for it. One product that has received a lot of positive reviews by customers is the SioGreen POU IR260 Tankless Water Heater.
The IR260 POU Water Heater is one of the leading products from popular brand, SioGreen that can resolve all the inconvenience you encountered using a water heater in your RV. It comes with a sleek, small design that allows it to be easily attached to the side of an RV. Since an RV is likely to be subjected to a variety of different water sources, we highly recommend using this unit.
This innovative water heater uses materials that resist the buildup of calcium and limescale, which requires minimal maintenance. With the ability to produce up to 2.0 GPM, you could even provide hot water for a shower with this small unit.
One of the biggest draw backs to electric tankless water heaters it the buildup of limescale and calcium, especially when the water source is hard. When you are traveling in your RV, you will encounter hard water, even if you usually have a soft water source. That is why it’s imperative to use an infrared water heater instead of a traditional electric tankless unit.
We believe the IR260 POU is the best heating unit for mobile applications on the counter, which is why we have it listed in our choice of the best tankless heaters available in the market today.
Performance
The IR260 POU is configured to operate in four power levels from 1 to 4.
This allows it to be useful in various situations- as an RV water heater, indoor and outdoor patio heater. Of course, you will need to adjust the current to suit the particular application. This can be anywhere between 10 to 30 amps with a resultant power output between 1,500 Watts to 6,000 Watts.
This offers you an endless possibility for a heating system on the go, a single-point-of-entry appliance at home or a small outdoor unit for your patio.
The IR260 POU can produce anywhere between 0.8 gallon of hot water per minute to 1.5 gallon per minute depending on the temperature of the feed (incoming) water. Usually, it’s 0.8 GPM for a 60F temperature rise to 1.5 GPM for a 30F rise. Now, that’s pretty strong for a product of this nature and price.
Efficiency
The efficiency of any tankless water heater goes to long way to determine how useful it’s going to be. While most models are generally more powerful and economical than tanked solutions, there are some whose efficiency are scarcely rivalled. The IR260 POU is one of such models. And for the best RV electric heater, you may not find a better choice.
A temperature adjustment feature is one of the top perks of this unit. As earlier started, you can affect a temperature rise either by adjusting the power levels or gently turning the Water Flow Regulator in a clockwise direction.
The unit is also equipped with an outlet thermocouple which constantly monitors temperature. You can view temperature anytime from the LED display screen on the device.
In terms of value, it is extremely difficult to find better alternative to the IR260 POU, especially at the current price.
According to reports from various customers, this unit can last for more than 33k hours, which is equivalent to more than 20 years of residential use.
Unlike similar brands, the IR260 POU is non-metallic and as such doesn’t corrode or build up calcium or limestone. In order words, you can conveniently use indoor without need for extra purification. Of course, this depends on your water source.
Installation
If you have any DIY skill set at all, installing the IR260 POU shouldn’t be much of a big deal. No special tools are required to carry out the task; you can be through in less than a day. With this unit there are no calcium or limescale build up and you don’t have to worry about the parts corroding, because they are all non-metallic.
Interestingly, SioGreen walks you through to make sure you don’t have any problem along the way. And you can always refer to the tutorial video available.
Usually, there are four ways you can install this unit:
- Standalone (ideally for one shower-head in the red region and one sink in yellow and blue region).
- Series (you can install as many units as you like in series if you have the power capacity, benefit to increase more hot water and flow rate, ideally for 1+ bathroom and in a colder region.
- Hybrid (in line with existing storage tanked, the unit install before the existing tanked, the hotline outlet IR Tankless will feed into the cold line of existing tanked to increase more recovery time of your existing tanked).
- Booster (install the IR Tankless after the existing tanked to increase more hot water from the existing tanked).
The difference between Hybrid vs. Booster is that Hybrid will use the IR Tankless as the primary source of hot water and enhance all the benefit of infrared technology vs. Booster, the primary source of hot water is your existing tank, and IR tankless is to boost the hot water if your existing tanked is old and couldn’t keep up with the demand.
However, you may encounter a few challenges in removing the old unit (if you have one). If you don’t feel confident enough to do this, then you may want to consider hiring someone qualified to get the job done. It’s better to spend some bucks than end up with a messy installation. The later will definitely cost you more.
At 6.75 pounds, you would agree that this model is a leather attachment to your RV with very little demand on space. After setting up this unit, you can set the temperature through the manual control and then you are ready to start using your water heater. Like we indicated earlier, you can always change this temperature according to your desired choice.
Pros
- Doesn’t require maintenance
- Highly rated by many users
- Standard 10-year warranty
- Quiet unit for electric tankless
Cons
- Mostly suitable for low flow applications
- You might it a little larger than expected
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bottom Line
The IR260 POU is a great product that can offer you the best value for your money. Don’t be deceived by its small size; this is a very powerful system for supplying constant hot water on demand in an RV and is also suitable for single water output, such as a sink, washing machine and other home appliance. It is proven and tested, and has received a lot of positive reviews from customers for its durability and small size. However, this unit is not meant to replace large whole house units. If you have a large home, then you may want to consider picking another model in the SioGreen line-up. Overall, the IR260 POU is a fantastic deal at its current price. Don’t hesitate to grab it if you can!
