Instant Hot Water Heaters: How Does a Hot Water Heater Work

Unlike the traditional hot water heaters, the instant hot water heaters are tankless. They draw their energy for heating water from a gas source or electricity. There are certain versions of instant hot water heaters available in the market, which use propane just like traditional gas water heaters, to heat the water.

The working mechanism of instant water heaters is pretty simple. First the instant heating system is connected to a tap. The system consists of a sensor, valve, fan, power source and heat exchanger. When you turn on the tap, water flows into the heating system and the sensor detects its movement automatically. The heating system, as already mentioned can consist of a gas supply or electricity. The transducer system, inside the hot water heater turns on the power supply on being instigated by the sensor. The water starts circulating in the heat exchanger until it reaches the required temperature. Once the tap is turned off, the sensor signals to the transducer to switch off the heating supply. Instant hot water supplies generally do not contain thermostat because, as there is no tank for water storage, it is not required to monitor the temperature in the tank.

Now, let's come down to the pros and cons of instant hot water heaters. Instant hot water heaters are compact systems. They do not occupy lot of space. The absence of a tank to store water definitely decreases the size of the entire system, to a great extent. Since, the water is heated only for the duration the tap is turned on, so an instant hot water tank is definitely high on energy saving. No energy is wasted in maintaining the temperature of the water. Since thermostat is not required to maintain the temperature of water in a particular temperature range, no extra power is utilized to keep the thermostat in operating condition. The absence of thermostat causes further reduction in the size of the system. If you have a large family and plenty of showers are used at the same time, then definitely, an instant water heater can prove to be of help to you. The conventional hot water heaters require time to heat the cold water that enters the system. Besides, there is a limit to the amount of water that they can store.

Now, let's take a look at its disadvantages. The most important disadvantage of an instant hot water heater is its initial cost. It is three to five times costlier than a conventional hot water heater. But considering the fact, that in the long run it can save a lot of energy and reduce the amount on your electricity and water bills; it should not be an issue when you consider installing an instant hot water heating system at your home.

Summing up all the pros and cons of an instant hot water heater, we can clearly notice that the advantages of an instant hot water heater are more than its disadvantages. Its initial cost may be high, but it's compact, can be easily mounted on the wall and most importantly, it is energy saving.