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Selgas.
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David Bonner
I am a final year student of Mechanical engineering in Ireland. I am doing a project aimed to reduce the cost of heating water for a domestic house? I will be generating approximately 400-600 watts of of power which will be used to supplement the power obtained for the electricity. I was wondering what type of heating element would be necessary to insert in the storage tank to comply with the power i am generateing? Will a normal element found in a normal storage tank do? Or will i need a special element?
Any help you may give me would be much appreciated?Billy Sheahan
University of Limerick -
In the US, the average range of wattage in elements are 3000, 3500, 3800 and 4500 watts, and I am sure I am missing a few.
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Billy, Sounds a bit Oirish to me, but you said that you would be generating aprox 400-600watts to “suplement the “power” for electricity.
Are you saying that you will be generating aprox 400-600 watts per day so that that power can be onsold to the utility?
Or are you saying that you will be generating 400-600 wats per hr to be onsold to the utility?
Or are you saying you will be generating 400-600 watts that you will be using & using the utilities grid to supply the difference.
Billy you should be talking to an electrician because he would work out the household requirements & suggest the smallest element to heat the water to an acceptable temp of 60deg celsious.
Bob -
Billy
To give you a correct answer we need a few more details – you say you are going to produce 400 to 600 watts of power that is great but at what voltage?
600 watts of power is about what is used in a domestic twin slice toaster.
Most water heating elements are rated in Kilowatts which is as I am sure you already know 1000 watts, so given that fact you are not going to be able to purchase a NORMAL conventional water heating element commonly installed in a domestic electric water heater with such a low rated element.
Now having said that you might want to check some of the pet shops out that sell water heating elements for fish tanks – they may have them for the wattage you are playing with.
Hope this helps.
Selgas Services Ltd
Craftsman Gasfitters, Plumbers, Electrical Service Technicians -
Wooooooops I should have also added the following:
The electrical power in watts of any circuit is the product of the voltage and current expressed as P = VI
Power is proportional to the square of the current in a circuit. If the current is doubled then the power is increased 4 times.
Study Ohm’s Law and I am sure you will find the calculation you need to complete before proceeding further with this proposal of yours.
Selgas Services Ltd
Craftsman Gasfitters, Plumbers, Electrical Service Technicians
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