Customer complaint: ‘We have no hot water AND my basement is starting to flood with water’ Upon arrival found the Home Depot special – GE 50 gallon gas fired water heater has failed internally and water is literally pouring out from the bottom of the heater. Luckily the heater was installed with shut off valves on the COLD and HOT water supply lines. We isolated the water heater and immediately went to work to replace it. We installed a new AO Smith GCG-50-400 water heater – 50 gallons – 6 year warranty.
What is a water heating?
Water heating is a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. Typical domestic uses of hot water include cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. In industry, hot water and water heated to steam have many uses.
Domestically, water is traditionally heated in vessels known as water heaters. These metal vessels do not produce a continual supply of heated water at a preset temperature. Rarely, hot water occurs naturally, usually from natural hot springs. So, the temperature varies with the consumption rate, becoming cooler as flow increases.
Appliances that provide a continual supply of hot water are called water heaters. These names depend on region, and whether they heat potable or non-potable water, are in domestic or industrial use, although their energy source. In domestic installations, potable water heated for uses other than space heating is also called domestic hot water.
How Water Heaters Work?
Fossil fuels (natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, oil), or solid fuels are commonly used for heating water although. These may be consumed directly or may produce electricity that, in turn, heats water. Electricity to heat water may also come from any other electrical source, such as nuclear power or renewable energy. Alternative energy such as solar energy, heat pumps, hot water heat recycling, and geothermal heating can also heat water, often in combination with backup systems powered by fossil fuels or electricity.
Today in the United States, domestic hot water used in homes is most commonly heated with natural gas, electric resistance, or a heat pump. Electric heat pump water heaters are significantly more efficient than electric resistance water heaters, also more expensive to purchase. Some energy utilities offer their customers funding to help offset the higher first cost of energy efficient water heaters.
Types of water heating appliances
So, hot water used for space heating may be heated by fossil fuels in a boiler, potable water may be heated in a separate appliance. This is common practice in the US, especially when warm-air space heating is usually employed.
In household and commercial usage, most North American and Southern Asian water heaters are the tank type, also called storage water heaters. These consist of a cylindrical vessel or container that keeps water continuously hot and ready to use. Typical sizes for household use range from 75–400 L (20–100 US gallons). These may use electricity, natural gas, propane, heating oil, solar, or other energy sources.
