Immersion Rod Water Heater - Cheap and quick alternative

December 27th, 2007

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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”.

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.



6 Comments to “Immersion Rod Water Heater - Cheap and quick alternative”

  1. Karthik | December 28th, 2007 at 8:48 pm

    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 :P

  2. Williams | December 28th, 2007 at 9:13 pm

    Good point, Karthik.

    I think I remember an incident of melting plastic.. :)

  3. Suvadeep | April 28th, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    i need some detail about the immersion rod for my projet. could anybody help me plzs.

  4. Vivek | April 30th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

    what help do you need Suvadeep?

  5. Birchbarkbobananda | May 14th, 2008 at 3:46 am

    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….

  6. Vivek | May 20th, 2008 at 11:48 am

    Hi

    can you send us a picture of your setup?

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