A Look Inside Your Water Heater

July 12, 2019

You probably don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about your water heater unless something suddenly goes wrong with it. But as a homeowner, it can be helpful for you to at least have a basic understanding of the function of a water heater and the various components that comprise it.

With this in mind, here’s a quick look inside the various parts of your water heater from our team of technicians who provide water heater installation in Vacaville, CA:

  • Tank: The tank is the part of the water heater that people are most familiar with, because it is the largest and most obvious component. Tanks come in varying sizes depending on the water needs of a specific home, and they are usually made of a heavy metal featuring a protective liner. The exterior of the tank is also often covered in some sort of insulating material, such as polyurethane foam, and contains a decorative outer shell.
  • Shutoff valve: The shutoff valve is the component that cuts off the flow of water into the water heater. It’s usually located above or right next to the unit. It’s technically a separate component from the water heater, but it’s very important to know where it is.
  • Dip tube: The dip tube is where water enters into the water heater, right at the top of the tank. That new water then travels to the bottom of the tank, where it gets heated up.
  • Heat-out pipe: The heat-out pipe is located near the top of the inside of the tank, and is the vessel through which hot water exits the water heater to be sent to the taps throughout your home.
  • Heating mechanism: The type of heating mechanism in your water heater depends on the kind of water heater you have. Electric water heaters, for example, have heating elements inside the tank itself that heat up the water, while gas water heaters use a burner and chimney system to get the water to the appropriate temperature.
  • Thermostat: This device allows you to control the temperature of the water. There may be multiple thermostats for each element, if you’re using an electric water heater.
  • Drain valve: The drain valve is located close to the bottom of the exterior housing of the tank. This valve allows you to easily empty the tank so you can replace parts of the tank, remove any sediment that’s formed in the bottom of the tank or move the tank to another location in your home, if you wish to do so.
  • Sacrificial anode rod: This rod suspends in the water tank to help to slow down corrosion that might occur inside the tank. It’s typically made of either aluminum or magnesium, and has a steel core.
  • Pressure relief valve: This is a safety valve that helps to regulate the pressure inside the water heater so it remains at safe levels at all times.

All of these components work together to give you safe, reliable hot water at a consistent pressure. If anything goes wrong with any of these individual components, the entire system might not work as designed. If you’re having issues with your water heater, it’s important to reach out to a team of professional technicians for water heater repair in Vacaville, CA. Get in touch with ABC Plumbing if you have additional questions or need to schedule service. We look forward to working with you!

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