IoT Geysers? Racold or Havells

N

Nalin

Enclave Plus
Innovator
Anyone using these? are they beneficial in terms of scheduling advance timings.

I am hearing mixed opinions on these and also considering smart plug for scheduled timing feature.

Considering these 2 options for now :-
  • Racold Omnis DG
  • Havells Adonia i
Which of these are better in terms of service and and overall company.
 
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Nalin said:
Anyone using these? are they beneficial in terms of scheduling advance timings.

I am hearing mixed opinions on these and also considering smart plug for scheduled timing feature.

Considering these 2 options for now :-
  • Racold Omnis DG
  • Havells Adonia i
Which of these are better in terms of service and and overall company.
Click to expand...
I use a dumb geyser with a polycab 16A smart plug. Keeps the internet connected part separate from the actual geyser, if the plug breaks I can just replace it instead of having to repair the entire geyser unit/throwing it away. Scheduled Alexa to turn it on at 8 on weekdays and turn off at 10 (can also be scheduled from the tuya smart app).
 
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ze_cook said:
I use a dumb geyser with a polycab 16A smart plug. Keeps the internet connected part separate from the actual geyser, if the plug breaks I can just replace it instead of having to repair the entire geyser unit/throwing it away. Scheduled Alexa to turn it on at 8 on weekdays and turn off at 10 (can also be scheduled from the tuya smart app).
Click to expand...
I totally agree on this.
The only thing you will miss is seeing the temperature on the geyser. Which doesn't really matter as most people mix hot n cold water anyways.
Overall having experience of alot of customer feedback in 20+yrs, i shall strongly recommend AO Smith Xpress 25litre with 3kw heating element. It heats fast and water stays warm.
This is recommended upto a shower head of 4 inches.
Incase you plan to use 6inch or more shower head then go for 35litre geysers from AO Smith.
Their PUF insulation and blue diamond glass lining across all models (6L-100L) is much superior than racold or havells.
And i can guide you on right pricing in your area as well.
Ps: Buying offline is better if you get an authorised dealer and good deal.
I can't share our dealer pricing here openly, but attaching an important spec sheet for you to understand.
Note the 3000w are fast heating. And priced lower than 2000w wifi models. Even warranties are stronger on Xpress models.

Recommended:
Premium model: Ao smith xpress 25L 3kw
Basic model: Ao smith Elegance prime 25L 2kw
 

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Mine has a 6 inch shower head and I always take hot water shower bath. In peak Delhi winter, I feel 25L is a must if one wants a proper shower but that’s not more than 2-3 months. Rest of the time even 15L will suffice.

Just want to update here that I bought Havells Adonia i for 13.5k on Amazon. It will get delivered tomorrow and I will report here about my experience with it.
 
My lovely but vintage ABS Racold (iirc 35 ltrs) thermostat (single thermostat model) trips after every cycle of heating and needs to be reset.
Should I get it repaired or get a new 50L one.
Are horizontal ones as good as vertical ones ?
 
EHH said:
My lovely but vintage ABS Racold (iirc 35 ltrs) thermostat (single thermostat model) trips after every cycle of heating and needs to be reset.
Should I get it repaired or get a new 50L one.
Are horizontal ones as good as vertical ones ?
Click to expand...
Check with official racold customer service. Diagnosis of problem is important. Also check with urban company or some electrician.
Shouldn't be more than 500-1000 rupees for right repair.
Not recommended to spend 10000 on a new geyser :) 35L is quite alot.
 
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EHH said:
My lovely but vintage ABS Racold (iirc 35 ltrs) thermostat (single thermostat model) trips after every cycle of heating and needs to be reset.
Should I get it repaired or get a new 50L one.
Are horizontal ones as good as vertical ones ?
Click to expand...
If it's lovely and vintage and working well otherwise, I would repair it. Based on what you have described, it shouldn't be too costly to repair it as suggested by @sato1986 .
 
Update (in short): Stay away from Havells as a brand all together. This will be the last thing from this brand in my house.

So I went and bought Havells Adonia I back in December and have used it now for more than 3 months. Sharing some usage experience here.

App Integration (WiiFi Network) - 1.5 out of 5

I used Havells One app for this and to my surprise I couldn't onboard the geyser through it for at least a month. This is a common problem that was shared by other users on Amazon as well. The device required a firmware upgrade at its level which showed an error which blocking the onboarding process. This was resolved by 1 fine day out of a sheer luck.

Appliance Usage - 2.5 out of 5

Once it was onboarded I was able to set weekly and daily schedules and they worked flawlessly with the app only till the day it worked fine. It developed an issue where its internal MCB tripped and it's been like this for last 15 days.

Service - 1 out of 5

Staring from the installation experience it's well below average to say the least. After raising the request the service guys cancel them on their will. This came as a surprise to me, sharing some screenshots.
 

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sato1986 said:
Check with official racold customer service. Diagnosis of problem is important. Also check with urban company or some electrician.
Shouldn't be more than 500-1000 rupees for right repair.
Not recommended to spend 10000 on a new geyser :) 35L is quite alot.
Click to expand...
replaced thermostat and it works as new, but the tank screws area is showing some white salt formation and is also rusted, looks like replacement time is near. will see next season.
 
This might be a N00B question:
Why opt for a Storage Water heater over Instant Water Heaters, especially in an apartment or for a small family (3-6 people)?
Instant Water Heaters are quick to heat water and allow dynamic mixing with cold water for ideal bath temperature.
Yes, scheduling is a feature that can be added to a Storage Water Heater. But Instant offers hot water quickly.
 
This is what we bought for a family of 5 people Crompton Amica 15-L 5 Star Rated Storage Water Heater (Geyser) White @₹7k in 2021. Since then we have called the Crompton technician once to clean the geyser of hard water contaminants once and again if it's heating power decreases we need to call the technician. We called him while in Hyderabad but now we are near sea shore so might not require cleaning any time soon. It's working splendidly until now.
 
For geysers, the most important feature is the internal tank coating. AO Smith pioneered the blue glass coating, that is non reactive to contaminants. Now many brands have a similar coating. Eventually the coating will wear off, but it should last a very long time (7-8 years) before you need to re-coat the tank or replace the unit.

I've been using a Panasonic Duro 20L since 2020 and it has been running reliably untouched since then. We have very poor water quality in my city. The water quality is hard with high TDS and some salt/calcium contaminants. Still ZERO maintenance. This unit also has the glass coating mentioned above. I chose Panasonic because I've had nothing but positive experiences with the brand. Every Panasonic item in our home has been running reliably for several years without any service intervention.

This unit doesn't have the IOT features requested, but the digital temperature console remembers the last used setting and has an 'Eco' mode that caps the temperature at 55°c. The maximum temperature possible on this unit is 65°c. I would say 45°c is the most comfortable temperature, with 55° for those who prefer very hot water and 65° for scalding hot.

41dCBr9moyL._SL1000_.jpg
 
gogogozillla said:
For geysers, the most important feature is the internal tank coating. AO Smith pioneered the blue glass coating, that is non reactive to contaminants. Now many brands have a similar coating. Eventually the coating will wear off, but it should last a very long time (7-8 years) before you need to re-coat the tank or replace the unit.

I've been using a Panasonic Duro 20L since 2020 and it has been running reliably untouched since then. We have very poor water quality in my city. The water quality is hard with high TDS and some salt/calcium contaminants. Still ZERO maintenance. This unit also has the glass coating mentioned above. I chose Panasonic because I've had nothing but positive experiences with the brand. Every Panasonic item in our home has been running reliably for several years without any service intervention.

This unit doesn't have the IOT features requested, but the digital temperature console remembers the last used setting and has an 'Eco' mode that caps the temperature at 55°c. The maximum temperature possible on this unit is 65°c. I would say 45°c is the most comfortable temperature, with 55° for those who prefer very hot water and 65° for scalding hot.

View attachment 228878
Click to expand...
For our Crompton Amica 15-L 5 Star Rated Storage Water Heater (Geyser) White bought in 2021 because the water quality is hard with high TDS and more salt/calcium contaminants while in Hyderabad it got coated to the insides of the internal tank and the engineer came to clean it but since 2023 October we are in Kalpakkam Beach side and we still haven't got any reduction of heating problems encountered yet. So we now have to check or call the engineer again for a close examination. Here in the DAE Township there is a water treatment plant which supplies water where the same water is used for both drinking via water filters and bathing via water geysers. I think here the water is not that hard and does not contain calcium also in huge quantities like in Hyderabad. In Hyderabad we lived in an apartment where calcium borne water droplets caused stalkamites formations like we see in caves rising from the floor or dropping down to the floor from ceilings. This is usual everywhere in Hyderabad & Secunderabad but here in TN it's not at all seen. So we were okay I think.
 
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