Scale decreases electric water heater efficiency?

jeff5may · 03-14-18, 10:39 PM

If the water in the tank wasn't going anywhere, the naysayers here might have a valid argument. Unfortunately, the water passes through the tank in a finite amount of time. The scale insulates the heat source from the water, so both the raw btu throughput and the recovery time are directly affected by the layer of scale. The thicker the scale layer, the worse the performance. They don't call it resistance for no reason.

03-14-18, 10:39 PM	#13
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	If the water in the tank wasn't going anywhere, the naysayers here might have a valid argument. Unfortunately, the water passes through the tank in a finite amount of time. The scale insulates the heat source from the water, so both the raw btu throughput and the recovery time are directly affected by the layer of scale. The thicker the scale layer, the worse the performance. They don't call it resistance for no reason. Last edited by jeff5may; 03-15-18 at 09:16 AM..