Last Updated on Sep 26, 2019.

After putting in 36 hours of research and comparing more than 100 instant water heaters, we recommend the Bajaj Flora 3-Litres Instant Water Heater. However, please keep in mind that instant water heaters may not be the right choice if you use shower. However they can be very useful in applications like kitchen, wash basins and bucket bath. For budget shoppers, Crompton Solarium 3-Litre Instant Water Heater is the best bet.

Top Pick

Bajaj Flora 3L Instant Water Heater

Bajaj Flora 3 Litres Instant Water Heater

Attractive design, compact size, 3 litres storage, 3000 W Copper heating element, insulated stainless steel tank, and safety features like thermostat cut-out. The high-pressure capacity of up to 8 bar, 5 years warranty on tank, good after-sales support and reasonable price make Bajaj Flora a good choice.

Budget Pick

Crompton Solarium 3L

Crompton Solarium 3-Litres Instant Water Heater

Crompton Solarium features a host of useful like 3000 W Copper heating element, glass-coated stainless steel tank, safety features like thermal cut-out and safety valve. You also get reliable customer services and warranty support of a leading brand like Crompton, and all this at a very affordable price.


Searching for the best instant water heater in the market?

Buying an instant water heater for the first time or replacing your old and non-functional water heater?

Should you buy an instant geyser?

This post will answer all such questions.

This post will also reveal the best instant water heaters that you can buy online?

I have used an instant water heater for over 4 years. And as a first-hand user, I am well aware of the working, pros and cons and how to get the best out of an instant heater.

There has been a lot of debate on whether an instant water heater is worth buying. During my research for this post I have read a lot, there are all kinds of opinions that are full of misconceptions and lack of knowledge.

So this post is based more on my personal experience of using an Instant water heater and not on the myths surrounding the web.

Let’s start then..

Read all that you wanted to know about instant water heaters at the end of the list of best instant water heaters.

Which is the Best Brand for Instant Water Heater/ Geyser in India?

The following list covers the best brands for instant water heaters in India:

  • Crompton
  • Bajaj
  • AO Smith
  • Havells
  • Orient
  • Racold
  • Morphy Richards
  • Usha
  • V-Guard
  • Venus

You May Also Like: Best Room Heater in India.


10 Best Instant Water Heaters in India?

1. Crompton Solarium 3-Litre Instant Water Heater

Crompton Solarium 3-Litre Instant Water Heater

This is the best selling instant water heater on Amazon.in and we are not surprised at all. This highly affordable instant water heater from Crompton comes with the promise of a leading brand, reliable after-sales support, and 2 years warranty.

This 3kW rated instant water heater features a glass-coated stainless steel tank of 3 litres. The Copper heating element is highly durable and long-lasting. It also comes with all the essential safety features like thermal cut-out (automatically cuts off the power supply when the water reaches maximum temperature) and safety valve (automatically relieves pressure and discharges water if the water pressure exceeds the maximum pressure limits).

Crompton Solarium also features a clean and compact design with 2 LED indicators for power on and heating.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Product Dimensions: 42.5 cm (Length) x 22.8 cm (Width) x 22.8 cm (Height)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 6.5 Bar
  • Stainless steel tank with glass coating
  • Copper heating element
  • Safety features like thermal cut-out and safety valve
  • 2 years warranty

2. Bajaj Flora 3-Litre Instant Water Heater

Bajaj Flora is an elegantly designed and compact instant water heater. This instant water heater comes with a power rating of 3 kW which is sufficient to give you hot water in a few minutes only. The stainless steel tank with PUF insulation comes with a warranty of five years which shows the quality of the product.

Bajaj Flora 3-Litre Instant Water Heater

This 3 litres water geyser is highly suitable for high-rise buildings as it comes with a high water pressure rating of 8 Bar. Thermostat cut-out adds a layer of safety.

Looking at all the features and it’s an affordable price, we think Bajaj Flora is definitely a very good choice if you are thinking of buying an instant water heater.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Product Dimensions: 26.5 cm (Length) x 26.5 cm (Width) x 44 cm (Height)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 8 Bar
  • Stainless steel tank with PUF insulation
  • Copper heating element
  • Safety features like thermostat cut-out
  • 2 years warranty on product and 5 years warranty on tank

3. AO Smith EWS-3 3-Litre 3000 Watts Instant Water Heater

AO Smith EWS-3 is the only instant water heater that comes with a glass-coated heating element that prevents scale formation and increases the life of the heating element. 3 years warranty on the heating element is proof of the durability.

AO Smith EWS-3 3-Litre 3000 Watts Instant Water Heater

The tank is also highly durable and comes with 5 years warranty. Thermostat cut-out, rustproof outer body, and high-pressure rating of 6.5 bar make it worth considering.

Offering the highest warranty on the heating element, it is priced a little higher than the first two products in this list.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Product Dimensions: 38.4 cm (Length) x 24.5 cm (Width) x 19.7 cm (Height)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 6.5 Bar
  • Temperature Range: 25 – 75 Degree centigrade
  • Glass coated heating element
  • Thermostat cut-out
  • 3 years warranty on product and 5 years warranty on tank

4. Racold Pronto Neo 3-Litre 3000-Watt Instant Water Heater

Racold Pronto Neo 3 features 3000 Watts heating element and a durable 3 litre corrosion-resistant tank.

Racold Pronto Neo 3-Litre 3000 Watt Instant Water Heater

The clean and simple Italian design and complete safety against high temperature and high pressure make it a good choice. You get 2 years warranty on the product and heating element and 5 years warranty on the tank.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Product Dimensions: 33.5 cm (Length) x 20.9 cm (Width) x 20.5 cm (Depth)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 6.5 Bar
  • Corrosion-resistant tank
  • Thermostat cut-out and safety valve
  • 2 years warranty on product and 5 years warranty on tank

5. Bajaj Majesty 3-Litre Water Heater

Bajaj Majesty is a reasonably priced instant water heater that features 3000 watts power rating and 3 litres storage tank.

Bajaj Majesty 3 Litres Instant Geyser

The high water pressure rating of 8 bar makes it ideal for high-rise buildings and high-pressure pumps.

Unique compact design and corrosion-resistant outer body look attractive.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 cm (Length) x 19.2 cm (Width) x 37 cm (Height)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 8 Bar
  • Mild steel with glass coating tank
  • Thermostat cut-out and safety valve
  • Warranty: 2 years on product and 5 years warranty on tank

6. Venus Lava Instant 3 -Litres 3L30 3000-Watt Water Heater

Apart from the standard features like 3000 Watts element and 3 litres tank volume, Venus Lava Instant water heater comes with some unique features like a copper tank with 10 years warranty.

Venus Lava Instant 3-Litre 3000 Watt Water Heater

Other features include 6 bar water pressure, disc thermostat, thermal cut-out and multi-function pressure release valve.

This is a highly rated instant geyser with over 75% users rating it 4 & 5 (out of 5) on Amazon.in.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Product Dimensions: 46.7 cm (Length) x 46.7 cm (Width) x 30.8 cm (Height)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 6 Bar
  • 99.9% pure copper tank
  • Thermostat cut-out and safety valve
  • Warranty: 2 years on product and 10 years warranty on tank

7. Crompton Bliss 1-Litre Instant Water Heater

Crompton Bliss is the only 1 litre instant water heater in this list, though we don’t recommend buying a 1 litre instant geyser for your bathroom, you can buy it for kitchen or washbasin.

Crompton Bliss 1-Litre Instant Water Heater

This will almost instantly heat the water as the tank capacity is very low and the element is 3 kW. This compact and elegantly designed Crompton instant water heater will definitely add a touch of modern design to your modular kitchen.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 1 Litre
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Product Dimensions: 21.2 cm (Length) x 21.2 cm (Width) x 40.5 cm (Height)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 6.5 Bar
  • Copper element
  • Stainless steel weldless tank
  • Multi-function safety valve
  • Warranty: 2 years on product

8. Havells Instanio 3-Litre Instant Water Heater

Havells Instanio features a truly unique and ultra-modern design. Unlike the 2 LED bulb type indicators in other water heaters, Havells Instanio features a cool looking circular indicator which automatically turns red and blue to let you know if the water is warm or not.

Havells Instanio 3-Litre Instant Water Heater

The rust and shockproof outer body in color combination of white and blue look attractive. Glass coated copper heating element and stainless steel tank are quite durable.

Pre-calibrated thermostat, safety valve, and thermal cut-out make it absolutely safe to use.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Rust and shockproof outer body
  • Product Dimensions: 22.5 cm (Length) x 19 cm (Width) x 37.3 cm (Height)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 6 Bar
  • Glass coated Copper heating element
  • Stainless steel tank
  • High precision pre-calibrated thermostat, safety valve, preset thermal cut-out
  • Warranty: 2 years on product and 5 years on tank

9. Usha Instafresh 3-Litre 3000-Watt Instant Water Heater

This instant water heater from Usha not only looks attractive but also features unmatched safety features.

Usha Instafresh 3-Litre 3000 Watt Instant Water Heater

Usha Instafresh instant geyser is available in 5 different colours, to match the interiors of your kitchen or bathroom.

Temperature control knob lets you increase or lower the maximum water temperature according to your preference. Copper heating element and leak-proof tank make it highly durable and long-lasting.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Rust and shockproof outer body
  • Product Dimensions: 22.5 cm (Length) x 19 cm (Width) x 37.3 cm (Height)
  • High pressure withstanding capacity up to 6 Bar
  • Adjustable Temperature Knob
  • Copper heating element
  • Leakproof single body tank
  • The thermostat and thermal cut-out with precise control of water temperature
  • Brass fusible plug for added safety to drain out the water in case of excess temperature
  • Warranty: 2 years on product and 10 years on tank

10. Morphy Richards Quente 3-Litre Instant Water Heater

Morphy Richards Quente looks beautiful in a compact and clean design with chrome decals.

Morphy Richards Quente 3-Litre Instant Water Heater

The superior heating element offers high resistance against scaling and damage due to hard water. The tank is also made of corrosion-resistant material and comes with a warranty of 5 years.

Main Features:

  • Storage Volume: 3 Litres
  • Wattage: 3000 Watts
  • Rust and shockproof ABS outer body
  • Product Dimensions: 22 cm (Length) x 21.2 cm (Width) x 39 cm (Height)
  • Rated Water Pressure: 6.5 Bar
  • Superior heating element
  • Warranty: 2 years on product, 3 years on the heating element and 5 years on tank

What is an Instant Water Heater?

Let’s first understand what an instant water heater is. Instant water heaters are water heaters that come with limited storage capacity (generally 1 litre or 3 litres) and high wattage or heating capacity (3 kW to 4.5 kW). Water heaters with storage capacity higher than 3 litres are referred to as storage water heaters.


How Does an Instant Water Heater Work?

These water heaters have very limited water storage and high heating capacity because of which they can provide hot water almost instantly.

The input water or cold water enters the small storage tank where a high capacity heating element heats up the water quickly. The hot water is discharged through the output tap.

Since instant water heaters are based on the principle of heating water to the required temperature very quickly these appliances need a lot of power for a short period of time, this is logical. This is the reason why instant water heaters have such high wattage as compared to storage water heaters.


How Much Time Instant Water Heaters Take to Heat the Water?

On average, the winter temperature of water in India varies from 4℃ to 21℃ depending on the city where you live.

Taking the above fact in mind, an average instant water heater would take roughly 1 minute to heat the water to bath ready temperature (appx. 40℃) and 2 minutes to high temperature (about 60℃).

Time taken to heat the water depends on 3 factors: temperature of input water, the storage capacity of the heater (1 litre or 3 litres) and the wattage (3 kW or 4.5 kW).

Instant water heaters are therefore more ideal for places where the winter temperatures are not too low like most parts of South India.


Is Instant Water Heater Good for You?

Instant water heaters are the recommended choice under several scenarios like the ones discussed below:

  • Buying for Kitchen or Wash Basins: In the kitchen, hot water is generally required for washing utensils, vegetables, and fruits. This means you need a small volume of hot water instantly, which makes instant water heaters an ideal choice for hot water requirements in Kitchen. Instant water heaters are also a great choice if you are looking for hot water for washbasins for washing hands.
  • Bucket Bath for Individual or 2-3 Members: It is a well-known fact that a shower bath requires almost twice as water as a bucket bath. If you love shower baths and can’t forego shower baths then we would advise you not to buy an instant water heater. If you bath using a bucket and the bathroom is used by an individual or up to 2-3 members then an instant water heater can be a good choice provided you know how to optimally use it.
  • Lack of Space: Unlike storage water heaters that need considerable wall space, instant water heaters take comparatively very less wall space as they are quite compact. So, if you have limited space in your bathroom then you should consider installing an instant water heater.
  • Energy Efficient: Instant water heaters are generally more energy-efficient as compared to the storage water heaters because in instant water heaters only the required amount of water is heated whereas you end up heating more than required water in storage water heaters. In technical terms, this is referred to as the ‘Standing Losses’.
  • Affordable Price: Instant water heaters are priced lower as compared to the storage water heaters. You can buy a good quality instant water heater in as low as Rs. 2,000, whereas a good quality storage heater cost starts from Rs. 4,500 – Rs. 5,000.

Instant Geyser Buying Guide

  • Geyser Size: Instant geysers are commonly available in 1 litre and 3 litres size. If you notice, you’ll find that most of the instant water heaters that you see online or find in the market come in 3 litres. A 1-litre instant water heater will provide you hot water a little quicker as compared to a 3 litres instant water heater. But why are they not so popular then? That is because a 1 litre water heater stores very little or negligible water and that means it is almost impossible to get a continuous stream of hot water, if you plan to use it in the kitchen or for bathing. With a 3 litre instant water heater, you can get a continuous stream if you manage the flow of hot water tap. However, 1 litre instant water heater may be suitable for washbasins.
  • Wattage: The easiest way to understand the effect of wattage is the thumb rule ‘Higher the wattage quicker the heating’. That means a 4.5 kW instant water heater will heat up water quicker as compared to a 3 kW instant geyser. But higher wattage also means higher electric load. Instant geysers have high wattage because water needs to be heated up quickly. That is why you won’t find any good electric instant water heater below 3 kW. Whereas the most common wattage for storage water heaters is 2 kW. We believe a 3 kW instant water geyser is ideal for Indian homes as it does not put an unnecessarily high load on your system. Because high load would require you to use high ampere rating electrical wires and may cost extra money in terms of fixed cost on account of higher load sanctioned for your electrical meter.
  • Electricity Consumption: Lesser the water you heat, lesser is the electricity consumption. Therefore it is important to choose the heater size accordingly. In general, the smaller the size lesser is electricity consumption. So, if you are planning to buy an instant water heater for washbasin then a 1 litre instant water heater will be more efficient than a 3 litre one.
  • Brand, Warranty & After Sales Service: Water heaters require considerable maintenance and service because they are more prone to damage (especially if you get salty or hard water) as compared to any other home appliance. Therefore you should always choose an instant geyser from a reputed brand with higher warranty and quality after-sales or service support. Avoid buying lesser-known brands because of issues with quality, warranty and service support.
  • Price/Value for Money: This is one thing that won’t be so difficult to decide as the most highly rated instant water geysers are priced within Rs. 2,300 to Rs. 3,500. Since you will be using instant water heaters for few years at least, you should focus less on a few hundred rupees price difference and more on the product quality, warranty, and brand’s reputation in after-sales service.
  • Tank Material: Water heater tanks are generally made of copper, stainless steel and thermoplastic. Stainless steel tanks with glass coating or polymer coating are the best in terms of insulation and corrosion resistance. All manufacturers nowadays offer two different warranties, one on the entire product and the other, generally higher, on storage tanks. You should always check the warranty on tank, a thumb rule of judging tank quality is the warranty. Manufacturers using durable and long-lasting tanks will offer higher warranties.

Instant Water Heater Limitations

  • Not Suitable for Shower: An average bathroom shower’s flow rate is around 8 litres/minute and instant water heaters can’t provide so much hot water instantly.
    Not Suitable for Shower Bath
  • Not suitable for more than 2 members: Since instant waters have very limited or almost no storage, you’ll have to use the hot water tap at minimal flow to get a continuous flow of hot water. Or you will have to draw water from the heater intermittently giving a few minutes break between each cycle. In both scenarios, you will be wasting more than the optimal time in bathing. This can become quite irritating and impractical if you have many members using the same bathroom.
  • Higher Wattage: As detailed above, instant water heaters are generally rated at 3 to 4.5 kW because the instant water heaters need to quickly heat the water. Although the units consumed might not be more than the low wattage storage heaters, but instant water heaters draw more power i.e. put more load on the system. Imagine how much load it will put on the system if most people in your city or locality use 4.5 kW instant water heaters during the same morning hours. The infrastructure required to handle this load surge will be huge and in the absence of proper infrastructure this will result in overload and failures.
  • Not Suitable for Low-Temperature Areas: Low temperature means colder water and colder water would mean more time to heat. If the input water is very cold than instant water heaters may not be able to provide a continuous stream of hot water.

How to Optimally Use an Instant Water Heater?

While writing this post I have come across a lot of websites that claim that an instant water heater is not recommended for bathing.

But, I have used an instant water heater for the bath for over 4 years and I didn’t face any issues at all. And I will share my experience of using an instant water heater for all those who are also planning to buy an instant water heater for their home.

First of all, let me make a few things clear:

  • I live in North India, to be specific in New Delhi, and as you know this part is known for its cold winters. If I can put an instant water heater to good use then I think most of you can also do the same (unless you live in an area that faces more severe winters, snowfall, and sub-zero temperatures).
  • I live in a joint family and my home has 3 floors with 2 bathrooms on each floor.
  • I bought six 3 Litre instant water heater from Orient in 2013 winter.
  • The bathroom which I used, was used by 3 family members: me, my wife and our newborn son.
  • We used a bucket for the bath.

How I put the instant water heater to best use?

Restrict Tap Flow

I would turn on the instant geyser as soon as I woke up in the morning. The water in the storage tank would heat up in 4-5 minutes and the temperature light would change the colour. Now I opened the hot water tap and restrict the flow to only 25 – 35% of tap’s actual flow rate to get a continuous stream of hot water.

In the meanwhile, I would use the toilet and brush my teeth. Once the bucket is around 50 -60% full I would close the hot water tap and mix cold water to make the water bath ready. If the bucket is full before I finish brushing my teeth then I would simply close the tap.

And as soon as I am ready to start pouring water on my body I would open the hot water tap at the same flow rate as discussed above, I would also simultaneously open the cold water tap to get the water at bath-ready temperature.

The bucket continues to fill as I use water from the bucket. The bucket would again be full for the next member.

If I would be using the hot water tap at 100% flow rate then I would have to turn off and turn on the tap at regular intervals. Although it was an instant heater it can’t heat up so much water so quickly.

What Benefit Did I Get and What I Had to Compromise?

Balancing Time and Savings
  1. Frankly speaking, the bathroom that I was using is not a big one and the idea of buying an instant water heater originated because of the space constraint. Being quite compact and lightweight, the instant water heater that we installed used very little wall space.
  2. I saved on the initial price, the instant water heater cost me somewhere close to Rs. 3,000 and a storage water heater was costing me around Rs. 5,500.
  3. I didn’t spend even a single rupee on the service, repair or maintenance in those 4 years, and that too when I was using groundwater supply with high levels of sediment and dirt.
  4. I never calculated electricity savings but I assume using an instant water heater must have definitely saved me some electricity as I was only heating the amount of water that I was actually using. In the case of a storage water heater, you would always end up heating more than the required volume.
  5. It might not be a conscious effort, but in the process, I also saved tens of litres of water every day as I was no longer wasting the water and was only trying to use the amount of water that was necessary.

But I had to make a small compromise.

As clearly evident, this process meant that I spent a few extra minutes daily because I was restricting the flow of hot water tap to get a continuous stream of hot water. Which means the bucket was taking longer to fill. But since I was managing the bucket fill while I was doing other stuff the total delay would hardly be 4-5 minutes only.


Instant Water Heater – FAQs

Does instant water heater consume more electricity?

No, instant water heaters do not consume more electricity than the storage water heaters. This is a common myth in the minds of most customers. Instant water heaters have generally higher wattage (3 – 4.5 kW) and this makes the people think that they consume more electricity than the storage geysers. The wattage of storage geysers is around 2 – 2.5 kW. Higher wattage makes the water heat faster and it does not have any direct impact on any increase or decrease in electricity consumption.

In fact, instant water heaters are slightly more efficient as compared to the storage water heaters. This is because instant geysers stop the wastage of extra hot water by only heating the required quantity. This reduces the wastage of electricity too.

What is the ideal tank capacity for instant geysers?

Instant water heaters can be both tank-less and or have small tanks. Gas geysers are tank-less instant geysers. Generally, electric instant geysers come in tank sizes of 1 or 3-litres. And out of these two, instant geysers with 3-litres storage tank are most popular. This is because 3-litres instant geysers combine the benefit of both an instant water heater and storage water heater by providing you hot water almost instantly and storing very limited quantity for later use. This is very handy for applications like kitchen sink and washbasins.


Conclusion

We keep saying this again and again ‘one size does not fit all’, and this is so true for instant water heaters. Instant water heaters can be very cost-effective and quite useful provided you use them as they are intended to be used.

We have tried to provide as much information as possible in this post and we hope you have found this useful. Please show your appreciation by sharing the post with your friends. Thank You!

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