People have been heating water ever since they learned how to produce and control fire. People need hot water to cook food, bathe and clean stuff. Now that everything is hi-tech, heating water for everyday use is as easy as can be. You simply have to turn the tap and you get warm water oozing from your shower nozzle, thanks to the modern water heater hidden in your basement and connected to the taps with pipes, valves and tubes.
Water-heating Hazards
Modern water heaters use either electricity or fuel to produce warmth. While each has its advantages over the other, both have something in common – they are explosion hazards. Water heaters could explode anytime and damage everything nearby, perhaps even injuring or killing people. If it doesn’t cause explosion, there are still the dangers of scalding and bacteria infestation.
Users should be cautious not just in using the device but more importantly in installing. Also, families and plumbers should install a TPR (temperature and pressure relief) valve. What it does is simple. The TPR valve releases water if temperature and/or pressure become too high.
Other than the TPR, there are a few practical things you can do to make sure your family doesn’t get injured from water-heating-related problems.
Safety Tips
1. Do not overwork your water heater.
2. Perform preventive maintenance check.
3. Provide distance between you/your family and the water heater. Most homes store their boiler in the basement.
4. Use supplemental heaters found in most appliances that need hot water.
5. Instruct the children not to go near the device.
6. Understand how your water heater works and how heat and water pressure behave.
7. Call the plumber for any sign of malfunctioning water heater.
Water Heating Types
To better understand how water may be heated for residential use, below are the most common types of modern water heaters.
1. Tank-type storage water heaters
Clearly the most common heater type, a storage water heater is made up of a cylindrical vessel that contains water that stays warm and heated, ready for use. Most vessels can contain 75 to 400 liters. This type is so popular that manufacturers have created a variety of types, giving users a choice of energy source – natural gas, electricity, heating oil, propane, LPG or solar energy.
The most important advantage of storage water heaters is economy. They keep the water warm and so spend little energy at a continuous slow rate. Heated water is stored for later use. A disadvantage, however, is that heated water inside the vessel can be used up, and then it would take time to heat some more water.
2. Tank less water heater (aka on-demand water heater or instant-on water heater)
A tank less water heater uses high-power heat exchangers to instantly heat water as it passes through the water heating device. The common advantage is the continuous flow of hot water. It will never run out because it does not store water in the first place. This type is becoming more and more popular for the convenience and for never ever worrying whether you have warm water or not. Simply turn on the device, turn the tap and enjoy warm water.
3. Electric shower heads
This device is handy, ingenious and easy to install. An electric shower head is incorporated into the shower nozzle so that it instantly heats water as it flows through. This is economic and convenient, but a poorly installed electric shower head can cause electric shock.
4. Solar-power water heater
With the world becoming more and more eco-friendly, anything and everything solar powered is gaining much popularity these days. This one-time-installation device works well and is very economical. The energy source is free and perfectly no maintenance needed.
Joyce Del Rosario is a blogger from Toronto Plumber, one the of the leading sites offering Drain Camera Inspection.
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