How Water Heaters Work

Your water heater is the reason you have water warm enough to take hot showers and baths as well as using your dishwasher or washing machine. You may recognize your water heater as the big metal cylinder hidden in your laundry room or basement. Although they may look simple and boring, they actually have an ingenious design on the inside to deliver hot water right to your faucet.

Inside Your Water Heater

• Tank: Your water heater’s inner shell is a heavy metal tank that contains a water protective liner. The tank can hold 40 to 60 gallons of hot water at about 50 to 100 pounds per square inch. The exterior of the tank is covered in an insulating material, then covered with an outer shell or maybe an additional insulating blanket.
• Dip tube: Water enters the water heater through the dip tube at the top of the tank. It will then travel to the bottom where it is heated.
• Shut-off valve: This stops water flow into the water heater. It is a separate component from the heater, located outside and above it.
• Heat-out pipe: This allows the hot water to exit the water heater and it is suspended toward the top of the tank’s interior.
• Thermostat: The thermostat is a thermometer and temperature-control device. Some electric water heaters have a separate thermostat for each element.
• Heating mechanism: Electric water heaters have heating elements inside the tank that heat the water. However, gas water heaters use a burner and chimney system.
• Drain valve: The drain valve is located near the bottom of the exterior housing. This simplifies the emptying of the tank to replace the elements, remove sediment, or move the tank to another location.
• Pressure relief valve: This is a safety device that keeps the pressure inside the water heater within safe limits.
• Sacrificial anode rod: This is made of magnesium or aluminum with a steel core and is suspended in the water heater tank. This will help to hold back corrosion.

Now that you know the parts of your water heater, how do they all work together?

Heating the Water

The water heater’s thermostat controls the temperature of the water inside the tank. The setting recommended by most manufacturers is between 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough for household use without posing a scalding risk. Stay closer to the 120-degree range if there are children in your home.

The dip tube brings cold water from your home’s water lines to the bottom of the tank, where it begins to warm up. The heating mechanism stays on until the water reaches the desired temperature. As the water heats, it rises to the top. The heat-out pipe is located near the top of the tank, allowing the hot water to exit the tank. The water exiting at the top is always the hottest, as hot water rises above denser, cold water.

Joseph Frederick & Sons

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