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Water heating is a thermodynamic process using a heating source to heat water above its initial temperature. Potable water is usually heated by a device known as a water heater; note that 'hot water heater' is an incorrect, redundant term. Water heaters for nonpotable use, both industrial and domestic, are also called hot water boilers. When a shell-and-tube heat exchanger is used for potable or nonpotable water heating, it is commonly called a hot water generator. Most commonly, human-induced heating processes, such as combustion or electric-resistance, are relied upon to heat the water, but solar energy, or where possible, geothermal power may be used instead. Heat pumps and heat recovery may be used as well. Sometimes a combination is used, such as solar preheating, and then conventional combustion or electric heating.
Terminology In English speaking countries, except in North America, water heaters are usually known as boilers, or "geysers" (though the latter term originally applied to a brand of tankless heaters). In cold climates, the water heating and hydronic space heating are commonly combined in one boiler, where in much of North America, the water and space heating functions are though separate pieces of equipment. Tank-type water heaters In household and commercial usage, most water heaters in North America are of the tank type. They are also called storage water heaters. These consist of tanks in which a given amount of water is kept continuously hot and ready for use. Typical sizes for household use are 75 to 400 litres (20 to 100 US gallons). These may use on electricity, natural gas, propane, heating oil, solar, or other energy sources. The most popular in the United States and most European countries is the natural gas type, since the provided piped gas is currently the cheapest to use. Tank-type water heaters, especially older and low-cost units, can be made more efficient by installation of a water heater insulation blanket, also called a water heater jacket. The most common type is fiberglass insulation with a vinyl face on the outside. The insulation is wrapped around the tank and the ends are taped together. It is important that the blanket is the right size for the tank and does not block air flow or cover safety and drainage valves, the controls, or block airflow through the exhaust vent, if any. In very humid locations, adding insulation to an already well-insulated tank may cause condensation problems, potentially causing rust, mold, or operational problems. Other improvements include check valve devices at their inlet and outlet, cycle timers, electronic ignition in the case of fuel-using models, sealed air intake systems in the case of fuel-using models, and pipe insulation. The sealed air-intake system types are sometimes called "band-joist" intake units. "High efficiency" condensing units can convert up to 98% of the energy in the fuel to heating the water. The exhaust gases of combustion are cooled and are mechanically ventilated either through the roof, or often can be 'vented' through an exterior wall. At high combustion efficiencies a drain must be supplied to handle the water condensed out of the combustion products which are primarily carbon dioxide and water vapor. In traditional plumbing in the United Kingdom the space-heating boiler is set up to feed a separate hot water cylinder or hot water tank for meeting potable hot water needs. Such tanks are often fitted with a backup electrical heater for a quick boost, known as an immersion heater. It is mandatory that these two hot water storage vessels are 'indirect' meaning the nonpotable water from the boiler circulates via a separate internal exchanger and does not come into contact with the stored potable hot water. This primary circulation is at a higher temperature than the final potable hot water supply. Most water heaters in the United States are separate pieces of equipment from the space heating units. Since 2003, the United States has mandated that all residential combustion water heaters be sealed, flammable vapor units. This prevents vapors from other flammable liquids and gasses from flowing into the water heaters combustion unit and causing a house fire. This conclusion was made based on homeowners placing, and sometimes spilling, gasoline and other flammable gases near their water heaters and causing fires. These new type of gas units require more combustion air than previous water heaters. They are very specific as to where oxygen and other vapors can enter the burner chamber. These changes require a specially designed venting system for proper drafting of the exhaust gases. A common problem with atmospheric combustion water heaters is pilot outages usually due to poor drafting of the flue gases, wind, or a lack of combustion air. These new units rarely function properly in confined spaces without air supplied from outside of the home going directly to the water heaters burner assembly. A wetback stove or wetback heater is the name (used in New Zealand at least) for a simple household secondary water-heater using incidental heat. It typically consists of a hot water pipe running behind a fireplace or stove (rather than hot water storage), and has no facility to limit the heating. Modern wetbacks may run the pipe in a more sophisticated design to assist heat-exchange. Tank-type water heaters in the United States and New Zealand are typically round, vertical tanks, usually supported on the floor. In earthquake risk regions, a strap is added to an adjacent wall to prevent the tank-type water heater from tipping over and breaking the water pipes. Tank-type water heaters in Spain are typically horizontal. In apartments, they can be mounted in the ceiling space over laundry-utility rooms. Tankless heaters Tankless water heaters, also called combi boilers, instantaneous, continuous flow, inline, flash, on-demand or instant-on water heaters, are also available and gaining in popularity. These water heaters heat the water as the water flows through the device, and do not retain any water internally except for what is in the heat exchanger coil. Point of use tankless (POU) heaters may be installed at the faucet or in the bathroom far from the central water heater, or larger models can be used to provide all the hot water requirements for an entire house. The high efficiency condensing combi or combination boiler is an increasingly popular choice in UK homes. In fact, combis now account for over half of all the new domestic boilers installed in Britain. Tankless water heaters can be broken down into two categories; "full on/full off" and "modulated". Full on/full off units do not change the power output at all. The unit is either on or off. Modulated tankless water heaters base the heat output on the flow of water running through the unit. This is usually done through the use of a 'flow sensor', modulating gas valve, inlet water temperature sensor and an outlet water temperature sensor-choke valve and means that the occupants will receive the same output temperature of water at differing velocities, usually within a close range of ±2 degrees Celsius. Tankless heaters can be far more efficient than storage water heaters. In both kinds of installation, the absence of a tank saves energy as conventional water heaters have to reheat the water in the tank as it cools off, called standby loss. With a central water heater of any type, water is wasted waiting for water to heat up because of the cold water in the pipes between the faucet and the water heater. Point of use tankless water heaters are located right where the water is being used, so the water is almost instantly hot, which saves water. They also save even more energy than centrally installed tankless water heaters because no hot water is left in the pipes after the water is shut off. However, point of use tankless water heaters are usually used in combination with a central water heater since they are usually limited to under 6 litres/minute (1.5 US gallons/minute or GPM), as the expense of buying a heater for every kitchen, laundry room, bathroom or sink, often outweighs the money saved in water and energy bills. In addition, point of use water heaters until recently were almost always electrical, and electricity is often substantially more expensive than natural gas. Under current North American conditions, the most cost effective configuration from an operating viewpoint is usually to use a central tankless water heater for the most of the house, and install a point of use tankless water heater at any distant faucets or bathrooms. However, this may vary according to how much electricity, gas and water costs in the area, the layout of the house, and how much hot water is used. Only electric tankless water heaters were available at first and they are still used for almost all point of use heaters, but natural gas and propane heaters are now common. When consumers are considering a whole house gas tankless unit, they are advised to look at how the unit functions when raising the water temperature by about 42°C (75–77°F). Thus, if they live in a cold weather climate, they are advised to look at the unit's capacity with 3-10°C (38–50°F) inlet water temperatures, and find a size that produces approximately 15 litres/minute (4 GPM) even in winter if they have a typical-sized home and desire what is called a 2-appliance heater. This same unit may produce 25-30 litres/minute (6.3–6.9 GPM) in summer with higher inlet temperatures, but there is greater interest in year round production and usability. Since the water must be heated instantly, tankless water heaters use a lot of electricity or gas while they are on. If a storage water heater is being replaced with a tankless one, the size of the electrical wiring or gas pipeline may have to be increased to handle the load. Gas units are efficient but require a large volume of gas when operating at high firing rates. Many tankless units have fully modulating gas valves that can range from as low as 10,000 to over 1 Million BTU's. For electrical installations, AWG 10 or 8 wire, corresponding to 10 or 6 mm², is required for most POU heaters at North American voltages. In gas appliances both pressure and volume requirements must be met for optimum operation. Since a tankless water heater is not active when hot water is not being used, they are typically incompatible with hot water recirculation systems or applications where the water is turned off and on repeatedly. With that being said, tankless water heaters can be used in recirculation applications when designed correctly. There is often a short delay before the water flow detector is triggered and the heating element activated. This can result in a "slug" of cold water when you reopen the hot water tap after having closed it. There are also typically minimum flow requirements that can result in a gap between the coolest warm water that can be achieved with a hot and cold water mix and straight cold water. On the other hand, more sophisticated tankless heaters often come with remote thermostats that can allow the water temperature to be changed interactively to suit the immediate purpose. This is impossible with tank heaters. Solar water heaters In some locales, solar powered water heaters are used. Their solar collectors are installed outside dwellings, typically on the roof or nearby, and consist of panels in which water circulates. A storage tank is placed indoors or out. Circulation is caused by natural convection or by a small electric pump. At night, or when insufficient sunlight is present, circulation through the panel can be stopped by closing a valve and/or stopping the circulating pump, to keep hot water in the storage tank from cooling. Freeze protection, as well as prevention of overheating, must be addressed in their design, installation, and operation. Geothermal heating In countries like Iceland and New Zealand, and other volcanic regions, heating of water may be done using geothermal power, rather than combustion. Water heater safety Water heaters potentially can explode and cause significant damage, injury, or death if certain safety devices are not installed. When the water temperature exceeds 100 degrees Celsius, the water will remain a liquid inside the tank, but when the pressure is released as the water comes out the tap the water will boil, potentially inflicting steam burns. Water above about 88 °C will cause 3rd degree burns on contact. A safety device called a temperature and pressure relief (T&P or TPR) valve, is normally fitted on the top of the water heater to dump water if the temperature or pressure becomes too high. Most plumbing codes require that a discharge pipe be connected to the valve to direct the flow of discharged hot water to a drain, typically a nearby floor drain. Some home inspectors recommend the discharge pipe extend to outside the home so that it does not cause flooding damage. Some building codes will allow for the discharge pipe to terminate in the garage. If a water heater is installed in a garage, it is recommended, and many codes require, that it be elevated 18 inches off the ground so that the potential for explosion is reduced due to spillage or leakage of combustible liquids in the garage. For older homes where the water heater is part of the space heating boiler, and plumbing codes allow, some plumbers will install a Watts 210 device in place of a TPR valve. When the device senses that the temperature reaches 210 °F (99° C), it will shut off the gas and eliminate the heat from water heater tank. In addition, an outside pressure relief valve is required to be installed on one of the cold water hose bibbs on the house's exterior. If the water pressure is too great in the water heater, it will discharge out through the cold water system. In California, state law mandates that all homes sold, whether new or old, have water heaters strapped and securely bolted to wall studs to reduce the chance of the tank from toppling over in a serious earthquake, causing burns or a gas leak. Scalding is a serious concern with any water heater. Human skin burns quickly at high temperature, e.g., only 140°F(60°C), but also at lower temperatures, e.g., 120°F(48.89°C), if the exposure times are sufficient. Older people and children often receive the most serious scaldings due to disabilities or slow reaction times. In Australia and elsewhere it is common practice to put a tempering valve on the outlet of the water heater. A tempering valve mixes enough cold water with the hot from the heater to keep the outgoing water temperature fixed, often set to 50°C. Without a tempering valve, reduction of the water heater's setpoint temperature is the most direct way to reduce scalding. However, for sanitation, hot water is needed. Most residential dishwashing machines, for example, include an electric heating element for increasing the water temperature above that provided by water heaters. See also | ||||||||
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