Is Water Heater a Boiler: 11 Facts Beginner’s Should Know

In this article, the topic, “is water heater a boiler” with several 11 facts will be summarizing in a brief manner.

No, a water heater and boiler both are the different, boiler and water heater not the same device. Boilers are mainly a closed vessel system. The purpose of the boiler is not only heat up the water but also with the help of boiler heat up house and also power can be generate.

In the case for the water heater some system of the boiler is available with a hot water storage cylinder. Boilers are just like hot water heaters and it can be available in both tankless and tanked version. Inside the heating system of boiler water can be heated in a very short time.

Why is a water heater compared with a boiler?

The efficiency of the boiler is more comparative to the water heater. With the help of boiler we can reach up to 90% efficiency but with the device of water heater the efficiency never can be gain up to 90%.

A water heater boiler is compared with a boiler just because of with the help of water heater water can be heated and as well as in the boiler water is also can be heated. But a boiler can give heat to a room while a water heater is not able to heating up a room.

In between the function of a boiler and water heater have some crossover but theses two devices are not the same. A boiler is a device which is mainly used to heat a room with the help of radiant heat and steam processes. In the other way the device of water heater is used for cleaning and cooking purpose.

Advantages of boiler:-

We can get some advantages of using boiler which are describe in below,

  • Boiler is a device which is use very less amount of fuel to make heat for this reason boiler became cost efficient.
  • The performance noise of the boiler not louder.
  • Boiler is heating devices which are provided more amount of consistent heat.
  • Boiler is an appliance which is helps to increases the indoor air condition of the room. Air is not move by the boiler means any dust particle, dirt or any other type of contaminants are not transform by it.
  • Another benefit of using a boiler air is not dried.
  • The performance efficiency of the boiler is too high.
  • In a very short time heat and steam can be generated by the boiler.

Disadvantages of boiler:-

There have some disadvantages of the boiler, which are listed below,

  • A faulty boiler or an older boiler can create leakage to the heating system for this particular reason water damages can be appear in the home.
  • Installation cost of the boiler is high.
  • During the installation of boiler a little bit extra effort and time is required.Boilers can take a long time to adjust the temperature of the heating when the thermostat setting has been changed.

Is water heater a boiler can we say it with their similarities?

By the term of the water heater it can be derive that the device which is able to heats water. In the other hand boiler is a device in where liquid is also heat up but in this case liquid is not required to boil. So, for the both cases of boilers and water heaters are able to warms up water or liquid substance.

The vaporized or heated liquid substance is emitted from the boiler for uses in various methods or application of the heating, including cooking, boiler based power generation, central heating, sanitation and the water is used in the cleaning and cooking purpose.

Can hot water heater be used as a boiler?

No, not quite. A hot water heater cannot be used as a boiler. Boilers and water heaters both is the different appliance. Water can be warm up for the both cases but the ways of generating hot water in the devices are totally different to each other.

is water heater a boiler
Image – A small hot water heater repair in Fresno white color;
Image Credit – Wikimedia Commons

Advantages of water heater:-

Some advantages of the water heater are listed in below section,

  • The size of the water heater is not too big for this particular reason after installation of the water heater in a house safe a lots of area.
  • Energy consumption can be decreases by the taking help of water heater.
  • Operation of the water heater is quite safe.
  • For operate the water heater skilled person not required.

Disadvantages of water heater:-

  • Some disadvantages of the water heater are listed in below section,
  • Operating cost of the water heater is too high.
  • To heat the water takes time. The process of the heating water is slow.
  • Capable to power outages.

Can a boiler be used as a hot water heater?

Yes, a boiler can be used as a hot water heater. In a boiler water is heated not only inside a boiler water is heated but also boiler is capable to heat room and also can produce power. Boilers are able to warm up water in a very short time.Just like water boiler is also available in two forms. One form is available in tanked and another form is tankless.

One difference is between the boiler and hot water tank is some boiler is carried a storage cylinder with hot water. Boilers are appliance which is widely used in field of the industries. The industries where boiler is widely used are listed below,

  1. Plywood
  2. Power sector
  3. Sugar plants
  4. Thermal power plants
  5. Food processing industries
  6. Textiles
  7. Fast moving consumer goods (FMAG)
Turmkessel02
Image – A steam boiler of a modern power station;
Image Credit – Wikimedia Commons

Can we have hot water without a boiler?

Yes, it is possible to have hot water without a boiler. Tankless water heater is capable to heat water at once any demeanor of storage tank. When the funnel of the hot water is turned on at that time cold water capable to flow by the heat exchanger in the system and either an electric element or natural gas burned the water.

There are mainly two types of boiler. They are water tube boiler and fire tube boiler. In fire tube boiler, there are numbers of tubes through which hot gases are passed and water surrounds these tubes. Water tube boiler is reverse of the fire tube boiler.

When is a water heater boiler considered as a boiler?

A water heater boiler considered as a boiler when some properties are carried by the water heater. The properties are listed below,

  1. 120 gallons (454.2 liters) nominal water storage capacity
  2. 160 psi (1103.2 kPa) operating pressure
  3. 210 degrees Fahrenheit (99 degrees Celsius) operating temperature
  4. 200,000 Btu/hr. (58,620 kW) heat input.

Is a tankless water heater the same as a boiler?

A tankless water heater and a boiler are not same at all. A tankless water heater and a boiler both are the different types of gadgets. A tankless water heater only can generate warm water power cannot be generate by it. But with the help of boiler water can be heated and also can warm up the home. A comfortable atmosphere can be created by the boiler.

The main disadvantage of tankless water heaters is their upfront cost is significantly higher than tank-style heaters. Including installation, tankless water heaters cost 3 times more than tank-style water heaters on average.

Is a gas water heater a boiler?

The simple answer is no. A gas water heater and boiler are not same at all. A gas water heater and boiler both are different devices. A gas water heater only can generate warm water power cannot be generate by it. But with the help of boiler water can be heated and also can warm up the home. A comfortable atmosphere can be created by the boiler.

In various fields power also can be made by the boiler. By a gas water heater power never can make generate.

Difference between boiler and water heater:

The major difference in between the boiler and water heater are listed below,

BoilerWater heater
Boiler can be derive as, a closed vessel or construction of pipes and vessels, together with a source of the heat or furnace in which vapor or steam can be produce from water to drive turbines or engines, supply heat, process certain materials and many more.Water heater is a device which can generate continuous supply of hot water.
Boilers are heat water and also provide either steam or hot water for heating. Steam is distributed through the tubes to steam radiators, and hot water can be distributed through baseboard radiators or radiant floor system, or can heat through a coil.Hot water heaters are appliances used to heat water and to keep it at a more or less constant elevated temperature. Just as importantly, they are also used for the purposes of having a steady and continual supply of water.
Power can generate by the boiler.Power cannot produce by the water heater.
Efficiency of the boiler is more than the water heater. For the modern system boiler efficiency can be achieving up to 98 percentages. For older boiler system efficiency can be achieving up to 50 to 75 percentages.Efficiency of the water is not too high comparative to the boiler. The efficiency can be achieving by the water heater up to 58 to 60 percentages.
The average life period of the boiler is near about 15 to 20 years. If a boiler stays at maintained situation it can easily goes up to this lifespan.  The average life period of the water heater is near about 6 to 15 years.  

What is the difference between a boiler and hot water tank?

The difference in between a hot water tank and boiler has to operate in the path in which every uses the hot water that is generated.

The both devices hot water tank and boiler take water which stays at cool temperature and after that warm up the cool water and finally with the help of pipes distribute the cold water in the whole house. The cold water which is warm up by the boiler is give away throughout the home by the tubes, radiant in floor system and radiators in sequence to heat it to abide by the floors, rooms, garage warm and comfortable. While a hot water tank is device which is used to cleaning and cooking purpose for laundry, dish washing and showers.

Conclusion:

The very interesting topic is discussed in this article. A water heater never can be boiler, hot water can get from two device but only depend upon the availability of hot we cannot explain that the boiler and water heater are same. Boiler is able to generate power but water heater not able to generate hot water.