Water Heater Anatomy

Your water heater has a tank jacket that fits snugly around the tank. Knowing how a water heater works goes a long way towards determining what might be wrong with it.

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The cold water sits at the bottom of the tank since it is denser than hot water.

Water heater anatomy. Supplying hot water to your home is the hot water line. Water heater anatomy a gas water heater differs from an electric model because it has a vent pipe at the top of the tank and a gas supply pipe with a supply valve stop. This jacket provides insulation which reduces heat loss.

The exterior of the water heater is wrapped in an insulation blanket normally made of polyurethane foam. The inner shell is a heavy metal tank that holds anywhere from 40 to 60 gallons of hot water at 50 to 100 psi of pressure. By understanding how your water heater works youll have a better understanding of how to keep it working.

Dont forget to like us on facebook. Lets get up close and personal and take a stab at understanding water heater anatomy. Anatomy of a gas water heater.

An anatomy of a water heater therefore is a study of how a water heaters internal functions work. Inside the tank is a dip tube through which the cold water enters the tank. It usually comes with the 12 year warranty that has to be protected from freezing during the winter time and maintain regularly to prevent the limescale build up.

The heat exchanger is one of the main components found in tankless gas water heaters. The denser cold water stays there and is heated by the gas burner. The hot water rises to the top of the tank at the hot water discharge and more cold water enters in its place.

Cold water is supplied to the tank and injected at the bottom of the tank through a dip tube. Whether your water is heated by gas fired or electric heating elements both types of water heaters have certain parts in common and a couple of differences. An anatomy by definition is a study of a things internal workings or structure.

In the typical electric water heater system cold water comes into the bottom of the tank where it is heated. The water heater contains a heavy inner tank that is usually made out of steel insulation around the tank a dip tube exhaust pipe thermostat drain valve pressure relief valve and a sacrificial anode rod to prevent corrosion. Anatomy of a gas water heater.

The electric heating module is similar to those of electric ovens and is the main component of water heaters. Heating is done in the heat exchanger that is usually made of copper stainless steel on advanced models where water while passing through gets the heat from the gas burner most of the time located underneath. From disc 8 of 10 in the dvd series on interior home repair.

The hot water naturally flows to the top where the outtake part of the system distributes the hot water throughout the structure. A hot water heater is made of steel and encased in an insulation to maintain hot water temperatures. As the water heats up it naturally rises and is drawn off by the hot water discharge pipe.

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