The job of the tank-type heater is not only to heat the water, but to store it until

it's ready to use. Therefore, in addition to the tank's heating system, every tank is
equipped with insulation to help keep the water warm between heating cycles.

On top of every tank you'll find the water supply and delivery pipes. The supply
pipe routes cold water to the bottom of the tank through the dip tube. The hot -
water delivery pipe takes water from the top. For safety, all water heaters are
equipped with a T&P valve (temperature-and-pressure relief valve). This valve
opens if either the temperature or pressure of the water exceeds a safe limit. The
valve is connected to a pipe that runs down the outside of the tank, ending about
6 in. from the floor. It's a good idea to keep a bucket under the end of the pipe to
catch water if the valve opens. The T&P valve should not be connected to a
drain. If the valve did open, a sign that a problem exists, you might never know
that it had opened.

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Most tanks are made of steel, which is glass-lined on the inside to help prevent
corrosion. In fact, corrosion is the primary reason that tanks fail. Once rust
produces a hole, there are temporary fixes, but the tank should be replaced. All
tanks also have an anode rod to control corrosion. The magnesium anode rod
protects the tank by corroding in place of the steel. Because the rod is designed
to corrode, it will eventually wear away. After this happens, corrosion of the steel
accelerates. It's a good idea to check the anode rod once a year, and replace it if
necessary. At the bottom of every tank is a drain cock to empty the heater, and a
valve on the supply pipe allows you to shut down the hot-water plumbing without
affecting the cold-water supply to the house.

your home doesn't have a hot-water tank, you probably have a hot-water or
steam home-heating system that also heats water for your taps. To accomplish
the job, your boiler has a tankless water heater. In this system, a coil of pipe is
connected at one end to the cold water supply, and at the other to your hot -water
delivery piping. As the boiler heats the water that warms your home, that water
heats the coil, creating hot water at your taps.

Because tankless heaters only heat water as it's used, there's no cost for
maintaining heat in a large volume of water during periods of low usage.
However, they do have a few drawbacks. First, the hot water generated is far
hotter than necessary, so a cold-water mixing valve should be installed to reduce
the chance of scalding. Second, the boiler must fire to generate hot water—
which is efficient during the winter months, but decidedly more wasteful when the
weather is warm. Like tank-type heaters, tankless heaters are designed to
achieve a specific heating rate. Once the rate is exceeded by demand, the
temperature of the water drops. In some cases, storage tanks are connected to
the heating coil to increase hot-water availability.
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In addition to boiler-mounted tankless heaters, stand-alone units are available.

Gas-fired instantaneous water heaters utilize a coil and heat exchanger to heat
water as it's required. Like boiler-mounted units, instantaneous water heaters
don't use energy to maintain the heat in a volume of water, but only fire as hot
water is required. A downside is that stand-alone units typically have a lower flow
rate than boiler-mounted systems and may fall short during periods of high
demand.