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.