Giant Tankless Water Heaters
Review and Buying Tips

A review of the tankless water heaters from the Canadian manufacturer Giant. Explore the features and Energy Star compliant models. See the differences between non-condensing and condensing models.

Giant tankless model selection

Giant tankless water heaters are found in two categories; non-condensing UGT (Comfort) and condensing UGTC (Performance) series. Both groups are designed to provide a continuous supply of hot water on-demand by using natural and propane gas as the fuel source.

The main difference between these two series is that condensing UGTC models are more advanced; they utilize the condensing secondary heat exchanger that helps the units to take advantage of the heat coming from the products of combustion.

This way, incoming cold water is preheated while the exhaust gases are released with a lower temperature, resulting in higher efficiency and more installation flexibility. The energy factor on the non-condensing UGT series is approximately 0.82, while on the UGTC is around 0.96, so less energy is wasted – making this group ultra-efficient and Energy Star compliant.

UGT - Comfort series

The UGT series has two sizes: UGT-180 comes with the maximum power of 180,000 BTU and a 7.5 GPM flow rate. The UGT-199 is more powerful – 199,000 BTU and a 9.8 GPM flow rate, making it great for larger houses.

Both models utilize direct venting and are designed for indoor installation only, utilizing vertical or horizontal venting setup. This means exhaust gases must be vented outside and from where the fresh air for combustion gets in.

UGT - Performance series

The UGTC series also has two sizes: UGTC-152 comes with the lowest power of all, 152,000 BTU and 7.8 GPM flow rate, but the highest energy factor (EF) of 0.96, while the UGTC-199 utilizes 199,000 BTU and 9.8 GPM flow rate (EF is 0.95), also great for larger houses. Both models are also designed for indoor installation with vents that terminate vertically or horizontally.

As the Comfort series uses only stainless steel vents, the Performance series, due to the lower exhaust temperature, can use PP also. Due to the high energy factor, both models are Energy Star compliant.

Giant tankless water heaters can control a recirculation pump using one of the two modes; economy and comfort, which is more efficient but has higher energy consumption. The recirculation provides hot water faster and is used where there are long runs – the distance between the water heater and the fixture is too long.

The small and compact size of approximately 30” x 18” x 10” allows wall mount installation and, therefore, space savings-reduced footprint. The units are equipped with enhanced scale detection that reduces the possibility of scale building, keeping the great performance constantly high.

For easier temperature control and problem diagnostics, all the Giant tankless water heaters utilize the temperature controller integrated into the front panel. The controller is used to set and monitor temperatures up to 140 F or higher with the different controllers and commercial applications.

A warranty on all models in residential applications is 12 years on the heat exchanger, while in commercial use, the warranty is only 5 years.

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