How do water heaters work?

by | Dec 17, 2015 | Plumbing

The source of water coming into your home is always cool or cold, the temperature depends to an extent on the time of year and where you live. One thing is for sure, it certainly is not hot, that is where water heaters in Salinas CA come in. If you want a comfortable bath or shower, or you want to wash your clothes or dishes, then a hot water supply is a must.

A typical domestic water heater will be found in the basement, garage or laundry room. When you look at them they appear to be nothing more than a cylinder with pipe coming into it and pipe going out of it. Although a typical water heater is a simple appliance, there is a little more to it than two pipes. Although there are water heaters that do away with the holding tank and deliver hot water on demand, the tank type is still the prevalent heater in use.

The water heaters in Salinas CA are powered by electricity or gas. If the heater is powered by gas there is a burner located at the bottom of the tank, if it is powered by electricity there are heating elements in the tank that heat the water.

The tank is the heart of the system, normally tanks used in a typical home range from 50 to 60 gallon capacity operating at about 100 psi; the pressure is what delivers the hot water to the various faucets throughout the home. The water is introduced into the tank from the top through the dip tube; naturally the water goes to the bottom where it is heated. In the event there is a problem of any sort water heaters in Salinas CA are fitted with an external valve to shut off the water supply.

The hot water exits the tank from the bottom which is close to the heat source. The temperature of the water is controlled by a thermostat. Located in the bottom of the tank is a drain valve, there is also a pressure relief valve which releases pressure should it exceed the preset 100 psi. Located in the water chamber there is a sacrificial anode which is used to retard rust and corrosion, the anode is usually a steel core aluminum rod or a magnesium strip.

The ideal water temperature for a home is somewhere between 120 and 140 degrees F. If the temperature is set higher than that it can easily scald. There really is no need to have the water temperature any hotter than what is comfortable, anything above that just wastes energy which costs money.

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