The function of a thermostat in any electrical device, a water heater included, is to switch on or off the power supply to the equipment as it reaches a preset temperature.
The back of a thermostat has a bi-metallic disk that is hard-pressed to the side of the tank. As the name suggests, it is made up of two metals, having different coefficients of expansion, meaning they contract or expand at different rates varying with temperature.
It causes the metal to bend at predetermined temperature. When used along with a switch, it controls the temperature of the equipment using the thermostat. You might have heard a clicking sound on devices like a coffee maker or a washing machine. That click is caused due to back and forth movement of the bimetallic strip operating the switch.
Electric water heaters necessarily require heating elements for heating water. Some of the elements operate… Continue reading