The majority of individuals nowadays are always so concerned about the water heater in their home. It is for this reason that water heaters are widely used.
Since the electric water heater is an electric appliance, what happens when there is a power outage? Typically, it will electric no longer work.
How about gas water heaters, though? Is it possible for them to function without the use of a normal power source?
Is it necessary to use electricity with a gas water heater?
Yes and no are the answers. This is due to the fact that only the pilot light is powered by electricity, while the remainder of the water heater is powered by gas.
Let’s look at this type of water heater in more detail.
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What is a Gas Water Heater and How Does It Work?
One of the most energy-efficient appliances on the market is your gas water heater. It is less expensive than electricity and heats water in a storage tank. If you’re willing to invest a bit more upfront, this appliance will save you money on your monthly electric bills.
Gas water heaters have a constantly burning pilot light and should function in the event of a power loss. The gas water heater is connected to electricity to ignite the pilot light by providing the needed spark.
The pilot light, on the other hand, will continue to burn once it is lit. This means that the gas water heater does not require electrical power to function correctly.
What is a pilot light and what does it do?
To heat your water, you’ll need to turn on the pilot light. It’s simple and secure.
You can turn on the gas and light the pilot with an electric lighter. This heat source will keep your water warm throughout the process.
Never again will you have to wait for warm or hot water.
Advantages of using pilot-controlled gas heater
In a gas heater which is pilot controlled, the gas pilot light continues to function even if the power is turned off. Unlike that of a gas heater that uses electric ignition, the water inside the storage tank in a pilot-controlled gas heater will keep being hot.
Gas heaters with a pilot control are useful since they are dependable. A steady gas pilot light is used.
Regardless of whether you have power or not, the pilot light continues to heat up the water. This always leaves you accessible to hot water.
What is the heating source of your gas water heater, electric or gas?
Appliances that rely just on electricity won’t function after the electricity is out or switched off. This is because the gas is not attached to your electric system.
Gas-powered water heaters will continue to function and heat up your water.
The various kinds of water heaters which function on different fuel sources are listed below.
Is electricity required for conventional tanked gas water heaters?
There is no definite or wrong answer because, for daily activities, these heaters normally don’t require electricity and rely only on a gas ignition and pilot light for heat. As a result, during a power cut, the heaters will normally work.
Sadly, a number of gas water heaters require energy to light up the pilot light again. This implies that if your pilot light is out, your gas water heater will require electricity.
Gas heaters with a pilot control are useful since they are dependable. A steady gas pilot light is used. Regardless of whether you have power or not, the pilot light will heat the water.
Is electricity required for conventional tanked electric water heaters?
Due to the fact that the typical tank water heaters are mostly electric, they do not function when there is no power supply.
However, the water that has been heated before hand and kept in the storage tank will continue to just as hot even while being drawn from the tank’s reserve. This is a temporary fix that must be used cautiously.
Is it necessary to use electricity with tankless gas water heaters?
Yes. That’s because heaters depend on the gas to get water heated and the process requires electricity. In the event of a power loss, the heater will not function. The heaters are tankless so there is no hot water reserve to draw from.
Is electricity required for electric tankless water heaters?
These heaters produce the same results as on-demand gas water heaters. You’ll be without hot water for the time being if there’s no power supply to run the heating elements or the heater, and no tank to draw reserve from.
The tankless heater does offer some advantages which include:
- Tankless heaters are convenient, small, and simple to set up.
- They also don’t need as much upkeep and repair as standard gas heaters do.
- You don’t have to wait for the water to heat up because they don’t have a tank.
The water is rapidly heated by the heating system. As a result, users using tankless heaters can shower whenever they choose.
There are other, more specialized kinds of water heaters besides electric and gas, but if either of them use electricity, the challenge will be the same.
How does a tanked gas water heater work with electricity?
A tank-type gas heater has a water supply pipe that continually delivers water in the storage tank with a gas burner beneath it. When the water first gets into the tank, it is very chilly. The burner of the gas which is at the lower part will then heat up the water once the pilot light is lit. The actual temperature of the water inside of the tank will rise gradually until the hotness is enough for use.
This type of gas heater has a gas regulator located beside the device that functions using the thermostat in order to keep track of the water temperature.
The heat is controlled by the thermostat. It has the ability to turn on a gas burner and turn it off too. The thermostat can also be used to control the water heater’s temperature.
Tankless heaters which use gas are not the same as traditional tank gas heaters. There are heat exchangers within them which distribute the heat created by a gas burner to heat the water inside pipe.
You have consistent hot water with tankless models unless there is a situation of power outage. Certain tank-style gas heaters also have pilot light which must be burned by an electric element.
However, once the pilot light is lit, it should burn indefinitely without the use of a normal power source. In the event that the pilot light in anyway goes off, you will have to be patient till power is restored before re-igniting it.
Is it ideal to make use of a water heater without power or with power?
Gas water heaters without electricity
These are more cost-effective over time. In a typical home, gas heaters cost less than the average electric gas heater per month. When there is a power cut, you also won’t be able to use electric gas heaters.
People who utilize powerful electric gas heaters, on the other hand, will notice a bigger difference in their cost over time. Yes, electric gas heaters are less expensive. However, operating them will cost you more money. Using electric gas heaters won’t help you save money.
Electric Gas water heaters
Gas water heaters with electric elements are initially less expensive than gas water heaters that do not utilize electricity. Installing an electric gas water heater is less expensive than installing a conventional gas water heater.
Electric ignition-controlled water heaters are more common in traditional homes than those which are pilot-light controlled.
Why the tanked gas water heaters are still in use now
Essentially, if you buy a gas traditional tank water heater which runs only on a pilot light, you have the best chance of keeping a continuous hot water supply during a blackout. The heater’s power will not be disrupted if the electric circuit is disconnected, and it will keep working.
If the electric water heater in your home is a traditional tank heater, you are in luck as it provides you with a wide range of alternatives when you have to heat water.
However, if you insist on using just the electricity-powered gas water heater, you are probably wondering how long the water would remain hot in a tank without electricity. The truth is, this varies based on the size of the tank, its location and insulation, and if you used your hot water source recently.
