Immersion Rod Water Heater – Cheap and quick alternative
Though India has a tropical setting, owing to its huge geography, most parts of the country have quite a cold climate for months. This brings us to the inevitable chore of heating water for taking bath. Most common ways for heating water for Indian homes are:
- Heating the water on the stove
- Using an Immersion water heater
- Installing a Geyser
- Using green solutions like Solar water heaters
Our focus for this article is “Immersion water heater”.
Image Courtesy : rodexworld.com
An immersion water heater is a very simple appliance which heats a bucket of water in 10 to 15 minutes. It consists of a heating coil and has a chord similar to an electric iron.
To use an immersion heater, one simply fills a bucket of water and places the immersion rod into the bucket either directly or with an aid like a clothes hanger. Then they connect the plug into the socket and switch it on. Some models come with an indicator to show that they are working well.
Some points to be noted about immersion heaters:
- Unlike expensive geysers, they do not have an auto off system. This means, when the bucket is warm enough for one’s liking, the system has to be manually switched off.
- Just like geysers, operating immersion heaters without adequate water or no water will burn the coil and render the device useless.
- Ensure that you buy a good brand and quality product to avoid electric shock and other discomfort for you and your family.
Apart from this, immersion heater is not a complete solution for water heating. The biggest drawback is that one can only use the heated water from the bucket with a mug or external aid. This means having a hot shower is ruled out. Further there are chances of water spillage or people getting scalded as they try to transport this bucket of hot water from the place with electric connection to the place where they intend to use it. It is also quite common to get mild electric shocks from this apparatus, especially from those of poorer quality. So we advise prudent and cautious use.
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Posted by Vivek
on Dec 27 2007 Filed under Water Heater.
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One very important thing is that plastic buckets might not be suitable. I mean it can be used, but its better to use a Steel Bucket.
Another thing is that the water gets heated by convection. So the water that is above the immersion rod gets almost uniformally heated. However the water which is below the level of the rod remains cold. This is particularly annoying because towards the end you have to use cold water!! Darn… However dont try to make the rod touch the lower surface of the bucket especially if its plastic
Good point, Karthik.
I think I remember an incident of melting plastic..
i need some detail about the immersion rod for my projet. could anybody help me plzs.
what help do you need Suvadeep?
I use about 15-30m of black polyethylene plastic tubing approx 20mm/dia (any size you can find wil do though)
that someone had discarded. I place it in a metal frame, coiled up, and stand it outside to face the sun.
cold water flows in one way, hot water comes out the other. The sun heats it for free. I have a valve so I can shut off the water supply. The water standing in the tube gets scalding hot. The more pipe the better off you might be, if you need lots of hot water.
This way I don’t need electricity, and the whole thing can be made from free stuff.
When I want to take shower, I just fill a bucket and mix it to the right temperature, and use a pitcher to pour the water. Very simple and cheap.
Possibilities are endless for alternative Power and Heating, especially in India or the tropics….
Hi
can you send us a picture of your setup?
how much is the cost(INR.) of this immersion rod..?
It is unbelievable! now there is a great way to fix your Xbox 360 RROD I just found out last thursday. Check my link posted. If it does not work try rrod-fix-pro dot com.
“The biggest drawback is that one can only use the heated water from the bucket with a mug or external aid. This means having a hot shower is ruled out.”
Not really. I bought one today and used it in conjunction with a 5 gallon camp shower device that is meant to be used by leaving the water in the sun to be heated naturally. It comes with a battery operated pump that pulls the water through a hose and out a shower head which is activated by pressing a button on the battery pack. Worked just fine.
“how much is the cost(INR.) of this immersion rod..?”
I bought mine in Mexico for about $5.50 USD
Can any body tell whether current flow in the rod which we can see physically, or is it only a heat conductor, where heating element is inside the that hallow rod?
u have any video so i could better understand
there;s any video can u plz help me?
I had a terrible nowadays. Then I think that earth is leaving to mistakensituation pitiable people. But I saw your blog and currently I agree that in future we will have nice days by helpful people as you.
Ram
I am using the immersion rod for several years. Of late I am having a peculiar problem. When we heat water with the immersion rod, we get an intolerable foul smell emanating from it. The same problem we had with our previous immersion rod also a few years back. Then I replaced it with a new one. I have been using it for the past four or five years. For the past one month same type of foul smell is coming from this appliance also, while operating. Any body can tell me the reason for it and also a solution?
My immersion rod has got hard water deposits on it. How do i clean it? Can Easy off bang be used on it?
Mr. Subbu ,
I had similar problem while in Chennai , heavy deposit of minerals due to hard water . Here is what I used to do ” plug in the immersion rod outside water hanging without touching wall or any other thing , switch it on for a minute or two , switch it off and immediately immerse it in cold / normal water , live it for few minutes , the deposit will crumble and fall off ” . It is simple principle of expansion and contraction . The metal tube will expand faster when heated and shrink faster when cooled resulting in the deposit shedding off . Try it but be safe not to touch it when plugged .
Is there is anything harm to the body while using immersion water heater
Dear Sir,
Our company is sri Lankan trading and manufacturing organisation for hardware product range including immertion geyser water heater including 500 W,1 kW, 1.5 kW.
I would like to buy
1. Complite water heater
2. water heater element fill with MgO, in side Cu tube.
3.Heating element coil with winding
Pls send my price and infomation.
Best Regard,
Kasun Abeysingha.
General Manager,
KMS Holding.