How does a water heating system work?
Photo by CC user Tomwsulcer on Wikimedia Commons.

Knowing how hot water systems in a home work isn’t always essential, as it is far better to employ a professional plumber to help in the event of a problem. However, it is a good idea to understand the basics about how a hot water system works. Traditional heaters will work in a similar way and the main difference tends to lay in the fuel source, rather than the operation. To understand how a water heating system works, the best thing to do is get a professional plumber in to look at it and they will be able to explain it or take a better look at it to see the components and how they work.

Gas & Electric

There are differences between gas and electric heaters that only become really apparent when the basics of the operations are looked into. In both types of heaters, cold water will go into the unit via a dip tube in the top of the system and this is then funnelled all the way down to the bottom of the tank where it gets heated up. Professional plumbers will understand how to work with any type of hot water system and emergency hot water systems in Perth and other major cities around the world can be provided to anyone with a problem with their unit to ensure that they still have access to hot water while repairs are done.

Gas Heaters

Let’s take a look at some of the features of a gas heater:

  • They have a thermostat and a thermocouple that can sense when the pilot light is burning
  • This means that if the pilot light is out, gas will not be allowed to flow to the burner
  • The gas control valve will be sent a signal when the temperature of the water falls below a certain level and it will check the thermocouple to ensure that there is a pilot light lit
  • When the pilot light is lit and it is safe for gas to pass through, the valve will open to ignite a flame
  • The colder water will sink and the hotter water will rise in the tank to form a natural circulation system
  • When the water reaches the selected temperature, the gas valve will close to shut off the flow of gas again

Electric Heaters

Both electric and gas systems installed by Plumbdog work well and companies like this can provide homeowners with emergency units in the event of a problem.

Electric water heaters have the following features:

  • A flush mounted thermostat found on the internal tank
  • A switch will be triggered when the temperature falls below the pre-set level
  • This allows electricity to flow through in order to heat the heating element that is located in the water tank
  • The element converts the energy into heat
  • When the correct temperature is reached, the power will be shut down

Organising emergency hot water systems and repair work can be organised through any reputable company offering plumbing services and this is an extremely useful service to take advantage of.