Water Heater Repair

Also call instantaneous, continuous flow, in-line, flash, on-demand, or instant-on water heaters. These high power water heaters instantly heat water as it flows through the device, and do not retain any water internally except for what is in the heat exchanger coil. Cooper heat exchangers are preferred in these units because of their high thermal conductivity and ease of fabrication. The mail advantages of tankless water heaters are a plentiful continuous flow of hot water and potential energy savings under some conditions. The mail disadvantage is a much higher initial cost.

Small point of use electric storage water heaters with capacities ranging from 2 to 6 gallons are made for installation in kitchen and bath cabinets or on the wall above/below a sink. They typically us low power heating elements, about 1KW to 1.5KW, and can provide hot water long enough for hand washing. They may be used when retrofitting a building when hot water plumbing is too costly or impractical.

Other improvements to water heaters include check valve devices, cycle timers, electronic ignition, high-efficiency condensing units can convert up to 98% of the energy in the fuel to heating the water. Residential combustion water heaters manufactured since 2003, have been redesigned to resist ignition of flammable vapors and incorporate a thermal cutoff switch, per ANSI. Z21.10.1. These safety requirements were made in response to home owners storing, or spilling, gasoline or other flammable liquids near their water heaters and causing fires. Since most of the new designs incorporate some type of flame arrestor screen, they require monitoring to make sure they do not became clogged with lint or dust, reducing the availability of air for combustion. If the flame arrestor becomes clogged, the thermal cutoff may act to shut down the heater.

Water heaters potentially can explode and cause significant damage, injury, or death if certain safety devices are not installed. A safety device called a temperature a pressure relief valve (T&P;), is normally fitted on the water heater to dump water if the temperature or pressure becomes to 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 or outside the living space. Some building codes allow the discharge pipe to terminate in the garage. In addition, an expansion tank can be installed to prevent pressure buildup in the plumbing for rupturing pipes, valves, or the water heater.