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How does an electric water heater work?

Electric water heaters are devices designed to provide safe and reliable access to hot water for both homes and businesses. Today’s new models are equipped to offer a simple user experience, while allowing you to program them to save on electricity consumption.

 

There are electric water heaters on the market to cover all needs and to please the most select tastes; thanks to a wide range of options that includes various shapes, sizes, capacity and functionalities. For this reason, modern water heaters allow greater comfort of use and optimal energy consumption.

Know its most important parts

Water heaters are simple devices that provide comfort and safety to homes. They are designed and manufactured with elements that work together, with the idea of ​​providing practicality and efficiency.

The most important parts of an electric water heater are:

Casing: It is the metal part that covers the thermos externally; It usually comes presented in a white finish.

Boiler: It is the inner tank of the thermos where the water accumulates and heats. This boiler is made of steel and has a coating on its entire surface that provides resistance to pressure, ensures the healthiness of the water and guarantees the useful life of the product, thanks to the fact that it prevents corrosion. This coating is most often made of glass-ceramic material.

Insulation: It is the insulating material of the thermos and is located between the casing and the boiler. Its function is to reduce heat losses and it is usually made of expanded polyurethane.

Anode: It is one of the most important parts of the thermos. It can be made of titanium or magnesium; this last material usually has a durability that varies between one and three years. While the anodes made of titanium are electronic and will not need to be replaced. This is the component that is responsible for preventing the accumulation of lime on the walls of the thermos and on the resistance; therefore, it prevents corrosion and gives the device greater durability.

Resistance: It is the element that transmits heat to the water in the thermos. It presents two modalities: shielded, designed in copper and submerged inside the boiler; or, made in ceramic, sheathed and remain dry. It is important to note that in areas where hard water contains high levels of minerals or lime, it is recommended to use electric water heaters with sheathed resistances. While in soft water areas, it is best to use devices with armored resistance.

Thermostat: It is the one that controls the heat levels of the water in the tank to provide optimal operation. This electrical component allows the temperature to be set from the outside and in cases where it rises excessively, it is capable of suspending the power supply to the equipment, turning it off as a safety measure.

A simple and efficient device

They are known as the first devices used in the home to heat water and they were mostly installed in the bathroom. However, with the evolution of technology, they began to bring hot water to other areas such as the kitchen and the laundry area; doing with this, more comfortable the daily life in the houses.

Electric water heaters have turned out to be one of the cheapest options used to obtain domestic and business hot water (DHW). They have been designed to offer users a user-friendly experience, given their simple and efficient design.

It should be noted that the electric water heater differs from an electric heater because the latter heat the water instantly and do not have an internal tank; while the electric water heater uses a resistance to heat water.

The process of heating the water

When it comes to an electric water heater, the resistance is the element in charge of transmitting heat and the one that heats the water in its tank. When all the water in the thermos reaches the highest temperature set on your thermostat, the resistance turns off and the water remains hot, ready to be used. As the hot water runs out, the thermos will need more time to heat the cold water that enters the boiler.

One of the most frequently asked questions when talking about this equipment is how long does it take to heat an electric water heater? It could be said that the process of heating the water in a water heater can take approximately between 2 and 4 hours. Therefore, before using it, it will be necessary to turn it on in advance.

It is important to note that this time could vary depending on whether it is a small electric water heater with a smaller capacity or a larger one, with a capacity of use and liter for several people.

The importance of calculating the capacity of a thermos in liters

The capacity of the thermos must be chosen based on the people who will use it: a single person, a couple or a large family. For this reason, it is important to know the average consumption of hot water in liters: for one person a consumption of 50L is estimated, for two 80L, for three 100L, four people could spend 150L and 5 members of the family 200L daily. Hence the importance of choosing a model with the right size for the home, so that no one is left without hot water.

Does it increase the energy consumption of the home?

The greatest fear when installing an electric water heater at home is usually the increase in the electricity bill and it is certainly true that with its use energy expenditure tends to increase. However, questions such as how much does an electric water heater consume? They can be difficult to answer, because the consumption will depend directly on the daily use it has, how many people use it and how long it remains on.

Thinking about it, many manufacturers currently have electric timers that allow you to program and control the automatic turning on and off of the thermos. In this way, consumption is reduced to convenient time slots for the family and thus energy is saved.

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