Water Heaters
How a Water Heater Works?
Water heaters are not really all that mysterious. A water heater heats water on a continual basis, whether you are using hot water or not. When you draw off hot water, cold water enters the tank to replace the hot water drawn out. When the thermostat senses the water temperature has dropped below the hold level, it initiates the heating element(s) in an electric water heater or the burner in a gas model. Even if you don’t use hot water, the temperature in the tank will fall and so the water will be reheated to bring it back up to the desired temperature. Because of this wasted energy, it is advisable to turn down the thermostat when away for extended periods of time, such as when you are on vacation.
Which Water Heater is Better: Gas or Electric?
Gas and electric water heaters are about equally common. An advantage of electric is that they don’t require venting of the combustion gases as in a gas model. However, electric heaters may be more expensive to operate and generally don’t heat cold water as quickly as gas models can. However, your choice may be dictated by what type of unit you are replacing. Often, changing from one energy source to another can be prohibitively expensive.
Tank versus Tankless
While tank-type heaters are the norm in the United States, a tankless heater is sometimes the better choice. Tankless heaters (also known as instantaneous or demand water heaters) heat the water as it is called for at the tap. Tankless heaters usually cost two to three times as much as comparable tank-types. But tankless heaters, being smaller, can fit into spots where you'd never get a tank.
