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    pvsundararajan's Avatar
    pvsundararajan Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Oct 22, 2009, 01:24 PM
    Electric water heater element kw
    Dear All
    Please guide me that the element in electric water heater (Kw) is equal to the electric power(Kw) used to heat water.
    Regards
    :confused:
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
    Uber Member
    		  
    #2

    Oct 22, 2009, 02:00 PM

    Well not quite: You can convert BTU/hr to watts by this: 1 Btu/hour [I.T.] = 0.293 071 07 watt

    Then you use those funky formulas that tell you how many thermal units( BTU's) is necessary to raise 1 lb of water 1 deg F.

    You also have a tempeerature dfference:
    Ground water (55 F) to say (140F)

    And you size the element based on how long you want it to take.

    And there are tank losses to calculate using thermodynamics.

    1 Gigawatt would probably boil the water instantly and 10 Watts would never heat it at all.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #3

    Oct 22, 2009, 04:54 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by pvsundararajan View Post
    Dear All
    Please guide me that the element in electric water heater (Kw) is equal to the electric power(Kw) used to heat water.
    Regards
    :confused:
    If you're asking what the wattage is the elements are the average size is
    4500 Watts that pull 19 Amps when in use. Regards, Tom
    Milo Dolezal's Avatar
    Milo Dolezal Posts: 7,192, Reputation: 523
    Plumbing Expert
    		  
    #4

    Oct 22, 2009, 10:15 PM
    Unless you are working on your final thesis for your doctorate in electrical engineering from MIT than info submitted by KISS is way too technical answer for you.

    As Tom said, the two most common elements in residential hot water heaters are 3 500 and 4 500 KW. You can have 1 or 2 elements in one heater. Use thermostat to adjust water temperature based on time of the year and delivery distance.
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