Water Heaters 101

When water comes into your home, it makes its way through a series of pipes. It has to go through a water heater to make it the appropriate temperature for a shower, bath, laundry or dishes.

Water heaters are typically housed in your basement or laundry room. Although they can be tucked in closets or other out-of-the way nooks of the home. It’s looks like a tall metal drum. The water coming in to your home comes into this appliance where it gets heated for your various household needs.  

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There are various styles of water heaters and some of the newer homes may have on demand water heating systems and these are tankless. But the tried and true water heater design is the kind that is most widely used.

While it make look very basic on the outside, that steel-can looking appliance is a smart design.
 
THE THERMOSTAT SETTING

The average temperature setting on your water heater’s thermostat is between 120 and 140 degrees -- a good temperature for general home use but not so hot that scalding is a risk. 

If you have kids, it’s a good practice to set the temp at the lower end of that range. A lower temp also saves money and energy.
INSIDE YOUR WATER HEATER
Here is a quick overview of the components that make up a conventional water heater.
  • Tank: Your water heater tank typically holds between 40 and 80 gallons of hot water at around 50 to 100 pounds per square inch (PSI), within the pressure range of a typical residential water system. 
  • Heating Unit: Electric water heaters have heating elements that heat your water. But water heaters that use gas have a burner and chimney system.
  • Thermostat: Like the one in your home, the thermostat in your water heater regulates the temperature of your water. 
  • Dip Tube: Water makes its way into the water heater through a “dip tube” and then travels to the tank bottom to be heated. Cold water comes into the system and then runs through the element (or burner), also knows as the heating mechanism.
  • Shut-off Valve: This valve stops water from traveling into the tank. It's located outside the unit and above the unit.
  • Heat-Out Pipe: This is located inside the tank near the top. The heat-out pipe makes it possible for the hot water to exit the tank.
  • Drain Valve: Located at the bottom of your tank, the drain valve makes it easy to empty the water heater so that you move it, replace parts, or clean out sediment.
  • Pressure Relief Valve: This is a safety device that stays the pressure inside the water heater down to a safe limit.