Hot Water Heaters

The luxury of having hot water for a bath is incomparable to any other creature comfort. Right from the time of Romans, a hot bath has been a much sought after amenity. The relaxation and recovery that a hot bath can provide makes it a necessary addition to today's bathrooms. This facility is enabled by hot water heaters.

Types of Hot Water Heaters

These heaters can be classified, based on their heating element source. There are two prime heating sources used in water heaters. Water is either heated with the help of a gas burner or an electrical heating element. Accordingly, the two main types of water heaters are gas and electric heaters. The functioning of both types of water heaters is similar, except for the slightly different internal structure due to the different types of heating elements. Instant heaters can provide you hot water on demand within seconds.

How Do They Work?

Before I talk about the functioning of a hot water heater, let me explain its internal structure or design. Both electric and gas water heaters have a similar internal design in principle. All water heaters consist of a steel tank to hold water, which is surrounded by insulation. These internal tanks have an average water storing capacity of 50 gallons. These pumps are built to withstand a water pressure of about 300 psi. An inlet pipe (dip tube) is installed to let cold water in and an outlet pipe to let hot water out.

In these heating systems, there is a thermostat arrangement inside to monitor and maintain the water temperature. It serves the dual purpose of switching off the heater when set temperature is reached and maintaining the temperature attained. The most important components are of course the heating elements. In electric heaters, these are metal conductors that are placed within the tank for heating purpose. In gas heaters, instead of metal heating elements, there is a gas burner at the bottom with an attached chimney.

There is a safety mechanism in the form of a pressure release valve that can be opened up when the pressure inside becomes too high. There is another valve that can be used for draining hot water heater when need be. In electric heaters, there is an anode element that is placed inside the tank to prevent corrosion due to charged particles.

Cold water is taken in the tank from a subsidiary water tank or water supply line, which rises as it gets heated because of the heating elements and gas heaters. This hot water is sent out by the outlet pipe for use. As the hot water gets displaced, it is replaced by cold water from the inlet pipe.

The thermostat ensures that water is not heated beyond the set temperature (which is usually in the range of 120 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit). There is a shut off valve to stop the flow of water through the cold water intake pipe.

The hot water heater cost varies according to the storage and heating capacity of the heater. Gas heaters are preferred over electric heaters as they use up less power compared to electric heaters, which can cause a big spike in your electricity bills. It is essential that one knows about the working of water heaters to plan a maintenance schedule and troubleshoot problems that crop up periodically.