Gone were the days when people used to heat water over
coal or wooden fire and then carry the steaming hot liquid in a bucket to be
used where it was required. Now, most houses are fitted with hot water systems thatrun either on electricity or on natural gas. Of course, solar energy is also
used to heat the liquid, but the technology is not yet so very popular.
Choosing the right hot water system is of great
importance. In general, such systems come in different capacities, which in
turn are determined by the number of users. Their consumption habits too are
important. Another important aspect is that, most systems supply hot water at
.around one hundred and thirty degree Fahrenheit, which is roughly fifty to
sixty degree centigrade. If the
requirement is in a canteen or a professional kitchen, then a temperature of 65
degree centigrade must be enough to maintain high quality hygienic standards. Under
no circumstances should hot water be stored at a lower temperature than 60
degree centigrade of 140 degree Fahrenheit. There are fears of legionella. However,
there will be places, where storing hot water may have its own hazards. These
places are where there are plenty of children around. Moreover, in centers where there are disabled
people, it is unsafe to store hot water at such high temperatures. In such centers, one may look to cool the
water temperature by another 10 degrees at the most.
Now once the heating requirements are ascertained, there
are other issues, which require focus. It is important to choose the perfect
boiler. It is a closed vessel in, which water or other fluid is heated. It is important
to identify the perfect boiler with the correct rating. The boiler rating is determined by the heating
capacity of the boiler plus a safety margin somewhere in the region of 10 to
20%. For safety issues, one can always refers to standards set by the various
authorities in this regard. The American Society of Mechanical engineers have
developed standards and regulation codes in this regard.
Other
than the boiler, one must pay specific focus on the pipes of the hot water
systems. For the smooth running of the system, it is essential to ensure that
issues of fittings are properly looked into. These are some issues; one must
look into while installing systems of hot water. If followed carefully the
whole exercise can turn out to be a wonderful experience.