In the middle of the year before last, a tubular electric heater was invented, which during this time became an indispensable assistant for owners of automatic washing machines and water heaters (boilers). Therefore, before you go shopping for a store, you need to carefully study the heating elements installed in the unit for water heaters: characteristics, features, types and customer reviews that have already purchased these home assistants.
The main purpose of the heater
The main purpose of the heating element is to heat the liquid to a certain temperature. Heating elements for water heaters operate from an alternating current electric network, so the use of such equipment is possible only in places where there is access to the electricity network. Otherwise, it is possible to install gas heaters, where the function of the heater is a gas burner.
Heating device design
The tubular electric heater is structurally not very complicated. The standard design of the heater for the water heater consists of the following elements:
- hollow, copper or stainless steel tubes of various shapes;
- inside the tubes there is a spiral of nichrome, which has a high resistivity;
- the tube cavity is filled with a dielectric with high thermal conductivity (magnesium oxide, quartz sand), which isolates the heating coil from the body;
- contact rod;
- temperature regulator;
- porcelain insulators.
To reduce the risk of failure of a water heater with an electric heating element, special magnesium anodes are installed in the design of the device. These devices are designed to reduce the sediment on the tube, which occurs due to hydrolysis of salts in the aquatic environment when the element is heated.
Depending on the design features, heating elements for water heaters are divided into wet (open) and dry (closed).
Wet heaters
These TENs received this name because of the presence of direct contact with the heated fluid. In shape, such devices can be either straight or concave in any direction, which significantly expands the use of wet heating elements for storage tanks of various manufacturers.
According to reviews and comments by professionals, the contact of the case of an open device with water greatly accelerates the process of heating the liquid. But such a technological solution reduces the service life of these elements, due to the appearance of scale or rust deposits on the body. This drawback significantly reduces the efficiency of the heating elements for water heaters and increases the possibility of electric shock.
Dry heating elements
Closed-type devices are used in modern models of heating elements for the Ariston water heater. According to reviews, this design increases the service life of the element, since its body is in a sealed flask, which eliminates the constant exposure to water.
The case for a dry heater is made of inorganic steatite or magnesium silicate, although more often it is made of durable ceramic, but in no case is it made of metal. The heating of the liquid occurs through the flask, and the tubular element itself does not come into contact with water, therefore, its service life is increased.
All TENA flanges for the Termex water heater, as well as the inside of the storage tank, are coated with a special coating based on titanium, which creates excellent protection against corrosion and scale. Since the enclosure of a closed heating element is a good dielectric, electric shock in the event of a tube breakdown is minimized.
According to statistics, closed heating elements are operated three times longer than open heating elements. The life of dry devices is at least 15 years, while wet - 5 years. This is confirmed by customer reviews of water tanks.
Ways to connect heating elements
Depending on the capacity of the boiler, several heaters can be mounted. Moreover, the capacity of the water heater may depend not only on the number of heating elements, but also on how they are included in the unit circuit.
There are three main connection options:
- Serial connection. With this option, all devices are included in the electrical circuit in series. In this case, the total power depends on the total power of each element. The disadvantage of such a switching circuit is the loss of operability of the entire system in case of failure of at least one element.
- Parallel connection involves the connection of heating elements in parallel to each other. With this option, the performance of the system does not depend on damage to one element.
- The combined method finds application mainly in the absence of heating elements of the required power. In this case, both parallel and sequential inclusion of heating elements in the general circuit is possible.
Large-volume boilers are equipped with several fluid heating devices. To make the heating process more efficient, one heater for the "Termex" water heater has a power of 1 kW, and the second - 1.5 kW. They can function individually or together, which affects the rate of water heating and allows you to effectively regulate energy consumption.
Symptoms
Under the influence of internal or external factors, any household appliance can lose its performance. According to reviews, the heating element of the tank is often guilty of breakdowns.
The main signs that the heater is faulty:
- often knocks a circuit breaker of the electric network;
- the unit protective shutdown is triggered periodically;
- turbid outlet water with an unpleasant odor, and the water heater itself hisses:
- cold water at the outlet may be due to a violation of the contact of the heater with the temperature controller;
- a large layer of scale leads to the constant on and off of the device;
- improper installation of the tank can lead to the formation of an air cushion, which blocks the access of fluid to the heater.
If such signs began to appear during the operation of any water heater, then first of all it is necessary to replace the tubular heater, as a rule, in 90% of cases this restores the boiler's efficiency.
Checking the operation of the heater
Before checking the heater heater for compliance with electrical parameters, it is necessary to make a careful visual inspection of the device. Make sure that there are no chips, cracks or darkening on the device case.
Then, using a tester, it is necessary to measure the resistance between the contacts of the heating device. We set the tester in resistance measurement mode up to 200 ohms.
So, we remove the bottom cover, it is there that the entire electrical part is located. This applies to the heater for a water heater of 80 liters or more, in smaller tanks an electrician can be located on the side. It is advisable to immediately take a photo of the location of all the elements, so that in the future not to make a mistake during assembly.
Heater Test Procedure:
- Without removing the heater from the heater body, the presence of a leakage current is checked. For this, the resistance between the contact of the heater and the boiler body is measured. If the resistance is of great importance, then the heater is not broken into the housing, there is no leakage current.
- Next, we remove the heater from the housing and fix the resistance between the contacts on the rods, if it is close to zero, it means that the heater has a short circuit.
- In the event that the resistance between the contacts tends to infinity, then this indicates the presence of an open in the circuit of the heating element.
Repair of a faulty heating element in many cases is not possible, therefore, the dismantling of the old element and the installation of a new, obviously working heater are required.
Replacing an open device
For work, you may need the following tools: pliers, ring spanners, Phillips and straight screwdrivers, clean rags.
The repair procedure for the heater for the Ariston water heater is not much different from models from other manufacturers:
- We disconnect the boiler from the electrical network.
- We block the water supply to the storage tank.
- Through the drainage system we completely remove water from the tank.
- Remove the protective cover from the tubular heating element.
- For the safety of further work, we check the absence of voltage at the contacts of the thermostat.
- We turn off the TENA flange or the nut of its fastening to the plate.
- Then you need to gently squeeze the heater with the anode into the tank and, turning it, take it out.
Drive flushing
Before replacing the heater in the water heater, experts recommend thoroughly cleaning the inner walls of the tank, since they are largely prone to scale formation. Cleaning work must be carried out with extreme care so as not to damage the surface of the tank.
At the same stage, you need to carefully examine the magnesium anode, and if necessary replace it. It is recommended that a new anode be installed annually.
Replacing dry heater
The repair process of a closed type heating element is simpler than a wet device. In boilers with such heaters, it is not necessary to drain water from the storage tank.
Dry heating elements for a 50 liter water heater are located in the flask. Therefore, to dismantle the heater, it is enough to remove the protective cover, disconnect the supply terminals and remove the device.
Simple tips
As you know, it is better to prevent any malfunction than to spend time and money on fixing it later. Therefore (following some expert advice), the trouble-free operation of the unit can be significantly extended:
- Regularly and timely clean the heating element and the boiler tank itself.
- Do not forget to inspect and change the magnesium anode during cleaning.
- It is advisable to install a water softening and purification filter to supply water to the tank.
- With a prolonged shutdown of the water heater, close the water supply and intake valves.
According to reviews, following these simple rules can significantly extend the life of the heater.
The arrangement and maintenance of water heaters is not particularly difficult even for a person without a technical background. Remember that observing all the rules of operation of the unit will bring a lot of positive emotions when using hot water at home.