A thermodynamic process that can heat the water using the energy sources is called as water heating. Hot water is very useful in our day-to-day life and we all use hot water in our regular cooking, bathing, cleaning and also in heating our spaces. Unlike our houses, these hot waters are very useful in industry and hot water has numerous utilities in industries.
For domestic use, water is heated in various kinds of vessels called kettles, heaters, pots, coppers, or cauldrons. This kind of domestic vessel heat the water in batches and we cannot get continuous hot water from these small vessels. Nature also has some natural hot springs that produce hot water on their own but the temperature of this hot water varies depending upon the flow rate and water consumption.
Water heaters for storage (tank-type)
Tank type water heaters are very common in North America and people commonly use these heaters for household and commercial use in America. These tank-type heaters have cylindrical vessels that constantly keep the water hot which can be readily used whenever required. Usual household storage water heaters have the capacity of 75 to 400 liters.
The water in these heaters could be heated by making use of electricity, heating oil, propane, natural gas, and also by solar heat. In the US people prefer using natural gas heaters for managing their domestic hot water needs. Many developed countries have piped gas which makes water heaters very convenient for domestic use. The natural gas heaters offer a cost-effective water heating technology for domestic utility.
Tankless heaters
These water heaters are also known as continuous flow heaters, inline heaters, flash heaters, instant-on-water heaters, and instantaneous heaters. These heaters are a technological boon which is a high power water heater that can instantly heat the water. The water flows through these tanks which constantly keep heating the water.
Except for the heat exchange coil, no other place inside the tank collects the water. Copper has a very high thermal conductivity due to which copper heat exchangers are preferred in these tanks’ fewer heaters. At more than one point of use, these tankless heaters can be installed inside the house. These heaters provide constant hot water almost all the time. The technology used in these water heaters is highly energy-saving and cost-effective.
Showerheads running with electricity
These showers have an inbuilt electric heating element that can instantly heat the water in these showerheads. These showerheads are self-heating and are widely used in many countries. These showers come with point-of-use water heaters which are tankless types.
In the year 1930, this technology was invented in Brazil and from then these shower heads are frequently used in many countries. Previous models of these showerheads were made with chromed copper or sometimes with brass, but those were quite an expensive kind of models.
Bottom Line
After the 1970’s these heaters were made with injected plastics that brought the price down for these products. Just like hairdryer, these showerheads gained a lot of popularity due to their low prices. The importance of technology cannot be negated when it comes to the betterment of these water heaters