How A Water Heater Works [Cutaway View]

Go to http://www.house-improvements.com for help. Shannon from House-Improvements.com gives you a full explanation of a typical natural gas water heater. It includes a cutaway of the back of it showing you what is inside your heater, you might be surprised!

If you have questions about your home improvement or maintenance projects, stop by the forum on our website, where Shannon will answer your questions in detail for free.

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In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains how new energy-saving regulations affect today’s water heaters.

Watch the new season of Ask This Old House: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/ask-toh/video/0,,,00.html

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How to Maintain an Electric Water Heater: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTPSoUKiKRs

How to Flush a Water Heater: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjwENIksoWE

Plumbing and Repairs playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4X1yg-Fb88&list=PLkJADc1qDrr_0MRi-qB9a5w2iyaBS-Ivb

Key points:
1. Small-capacity gas-fired water heaters, in the 30-gallon to 50-gallon range, must now have at least 2 inches of insulation on the sidewalls of the tank and 2 to 4 inches at the top of the tank.
2. Gas-fired water heaters with 55-gallon or larger tanks can no longer be vented into a chimney.
3. New condensing water heaters must be connected to a PVC vent and direct-vented to the outdoors.
4. The new electric-powered water heaters with 55-gallon and larger tanks will be hybrid heat pumps that use 50 percent less energy but are much larger and taller than previous units.
5. The new regulations don’t affect on-demand tankless water heaters.

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37 thoughts on “How A Water Heater Works [Cutaway View]”

  1. My water heater tank doesn't seem to have a sacrificial anode! At least there's no opening at the top where it should go. That seems odd right? Are there any water heaters manufactured without a sacrificial anode? Or are located in other places beside the top of the tank? Mine is a gas water heater located in my attic (no basement here in TX).

    Reply
  2. Thanks for a very practical video that really helped to 'reveal' the working principles of the water heater. it also makes one think a few times about whether they would actually want to drink any hot water from the tap. :)

    Reply
  3. I have a gas water heater in my apt. I discovered that the inner door to the flame chamber was open, and I closed it. My apt is much warmer now. Is an open inner door dangerous?
    Does a closed inner door help make my apt warmer? Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Hello, I have a leak which is causing water to appear at almost every area, including around the water inlet/outlet, around the relief valve, and even from under the lid where it attaches to the top of the tank. It's almost like the inner tank is leaking into the inside the outer case, and has filled that area. Sound like anything you've heard of? Thank you!

    Reply
  5. I have a newly installed hot water tank… Is it necessary that I light the heater to check whether the hot water lines are functional with the same pressure as the cold water? I have tried turning on the hot water in the sink without heating the tank and no water flows out of the tap. My reason for not igniting the burner is soley for the purpose of checking for leaks. thanks for your video but it does not answer my problem unless a broken dip tube can affect the flow. Thanks for the great video on how a gas hot water tank works. Cheers James

    Reply
  6. Shannon — thanks for the explanation. I knew — generally speaking — how my water heater worked, but this video really put it all together for me! Keep up the good work, and please keep the videos coming…

    Reply
  7. Hang or Cradle your Electric Water Heater Horizontal for a 75% cut of Cycling loss and a 35% energy savings and a 40% increase in first hour draw

    Reply
  8. "They only last 7 to 10yrs"? That must be the line plumbers tell us so we panic. If you flush it yearly and change the anode rod when needed, there's no telling how long these will last. We have a 19yr old Kenmore Power Miser 6 that still works like it did the day we bought it.

    Reply
  9. I have a question. We have a 50-gallon electric water heater that's about 9 months old. We only use hot water in the morning for showers. Could we save energy by using a timer that allows power to the water heater only between 6 and 8 AM ?

    Reply
  10. Our house is ten years old, and we've never flushed out our water heater tank nor even replaced it.
    I did flush it out last year for the first time though

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  11. My old gas water heater lasted 17 years and it was only a cheapo unit. This guy said they are only going to last 7-10 years? He has not a clue.

    Reply
  12. Why don't they just increase the insulation outright, rather than dictating what type we use. Silly nanny state laws. We're essentually forced to use certain light bulbs, weaker appliances, etc. yet I can just switch to electric heat.

    Reply
  13. What it really means is water heaters are almost double the price they were last year! I've been waiting for my old 40 gallon to give out before replacing it and it finally started leaking this past summer and because i had been expecting to replace it i went to Lowes to get a new 50 gallon elec and found it was almost double the price and they didn't have an explanation.

    Reply
  14. The govt is saving us by stealing more money and telling us what to do….like usual. Its ridiculous. Srsly sick of the EPA and govt.

    Reply
  15. I have a heat pump and haven't seen the savings promised. We also kept getting cold showers, so we turned off the heat pump feature entirely.

    Reply
  16. Amazing, you release a video and take all this time do filming, YET you can't provide a single example of these "NEW" water heaters to validate anything you're talking about.
    Do you honestly expect me to say, "OH, he used his hands to symbolize the changes..thats what it must look like."

    Reply

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