Hot water heaters are an often forgotten piece of technology that make out lives immeasurably easier by heating water for use in cooking, bathing and other purposes in our homes and businesses. A hot water heater has the ability to heat large amounts of water and store it for use at any time. There are many different types and designs of hot water heaters, but in the United States most of them are of the cylindrical tank variety.
These American cylindrical hot water heater tanks usually hold anywhere from 20 to 100 gallons and use a variety of heating methods. While the most common are natural gas, propane or electricity, hot water heaters can also heat water with less common methods such as heating oil or solar energy. The most affordable and common method of heating hot water heaters in the United States is natural gas, which is available in abundance in almost every town and city in the country.
Tank Hot Water Heaters Vs. Tankless Water Heaters
There is such a thing as a tankless hot water heater, but they use gas and electricity at a much higher rate in order to heat water coming into a home or business. Tank water heaters are considered by many to be more cost efficient because they heat the water at a slower rate and store it for you to use whenever you need it. And when it comes to hot water heaters, the larger tanks are also able to give you hot water with less variation in temperature throughout the tank itself.
Here’s some interesting trivia regarding hot water heaters: did you know that in some countries such as Spain, their storage tanks are actually horizontal instead of the vertical ones we are used to here in the United States? It’s true! The design, storage capacity and energy sources of hot water heaters vary greatly across the world. In many countries, hot water heaters are manufactured to be small enough to fit in the ceiling above laundry rooms. If the country has a higher average yearly temperature, it may not have to work as hard to keep the water hot, so different energy methods and smaller tanks are sufficient. In colder countries, larger tanks are necessary.
Hot Water Heater Components And Insulation
The most important component of your home’s hot water heater is the inner tank, which in good water heaters will be equipped with a container constructed of copper. In addition to the inner tank, another vital feature of your hot water heater is the heating element itself, which is what makes the water in the tank hot. It’s also important that you understand how the insulation on your hot water heater stops loss of heat and makes your tank more efficient.
If your hot water heater tank is not properly insulated and is losing heat, it could lead to increased energy use and higher costs. You can put additional insulation on a hot water heater to reduce heat loss with an insulating jacket or blanket taped around the outside of your tank. These water heater tank blankets are usually made of fiberglass insulation and have a covering made of vinyl. If you are going to use a hot water heater blanket, though, make sure that it doesn’t cover up any exhaust vents or important valves. And if the air around your hot water heater is already very humid, you never want to install a blanket, since it could lead to mold or rust on your tank.
Maintenance For Your Hot Water Heater
The most important factor in making sure that your hot water heater is properly maintained is to ensure that it is installed correctly in the first place. Relying on an experienced company to properly install or replace your hot water heater can help you stay clean or many safety problems that come from an unprofessional installation.
Make sure that the space surrounding your hot water heater is kept clean and clear of clutter, garbage and boxes. Your hot water heater needs to be easily accessible, and you should schedule yearly maintenance calls to remove sediment from the bottom of your tank. This will increase the average lifespan of your hot water heater tank and make the tank heat water more effectively.
Decades ago, hot water heater tanks were constructed using copper, which is a great material for stopping corrosion. These copper tanks lasted for many, many years without any significant problems. But today, it’s more likely that new hot water heater tanks are constructed with steel, and lined with porcelain or glass on the inside. Unfortunately, the newer steel tanks have a tendency to leak or develop rust, which means that the average hot water heater in the United States will only last about a decade or so.
Also, make sure that your hot water heater has some sort of a tray beneath it that will hold any leaking water or redirect it to a nearby drain in the floor. You can purchase inexpensive alarms that are powered with batteries and go off to alert you if your hot water heater starts to leak, although this is not always really necessary. Just make sure that you are aware of how to find the shutoff valve for the tank’s water supply in case it does start leaking unexpectedly.
Of course, you can also purchase an electric hot water heater instead that is manufactured using a tank constructed of plastic instead of steel. These plastic tanks don’t corrode, and are built to last many decades. If you do own an electric hot water heater with a plastic tank, you won’t have to perform nearly as much maintenance, although you should occasionally drain sediment from the tanks.
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