# Yet Another Water Heater Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 28, 2006, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-water-heater-question/378230 "2006-10-28T14:35:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-water-heater-question/378230/21 "2006-10-28T23:41:23Z")
They are water heaters, at least as far as plumbers are concerned. [http://www.plumbingsupply.com/w-x-y-z.html](http://www.plumbingsupply.com/w-x-y-z.html) [http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-22,GGGL:en&q=water+heater+for+sale](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-22,GGGL:en&q=water+heater+for+sale) [http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topwater.htm](http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topwater.htm) [http://www.austinplumbingsupply.com/austinplumbingsupply/Water%20Heater/Water%20Heaters.htm](http://www.austinplumbingsupply.com/austinplumbingsupply/Water%20Heater/Water%20Heaters.htm) [http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&N=0&Ntk=i\_products&Ntt=water%20heater](http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&N=0&Ntk=i_products&Ntt=water%20heater) ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-water-heater-question/378230/22 "2006-10-29T00:20:38Z")
[Google fight!](http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=hot+water+heater&word2=water+heater) ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-water-heater-question/378230/23 "2006-10-29T03:56:41Z")
Working as a materials buyer for a plumbing shop for a couple of years I have heard both and I think either is equally correct. When you first install a unit the water inside is cold. It acts as a Water Heater and a Cold Water Heater. After a couple of hours the internal water is over 110 F and the heating units will come on every so often (as the thermostat dictates) to reheat the Hot Water. At this time it is decidedly a Hot Water Heater and a Water Heater. While it is true that it originally is a Water Heater, for most of it’s functioning life it is indeed heating (or reheating) water that is hotter than ambient temp. Additionally, every invoice and work order I have seen abbreviates it as a HWH. Of course, YM(and HWH)MV. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-water-heater-question/378230/24 "2006-10-29T18:38:03Z")
I had mine replaced in June. The invoice says, “ **WATER HEATER**.” Yes, it’s redundant, and maybe dunderheaded, to say “hot water heater,” but that’s how most people say it. I’ll make a fuss about some points of grammar and usage, but this isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Poloin99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Poloin99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poloin99)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-water-heater-question/378230/25 "2006-10-29T18:46:00Z")
Your wife is wrong. If you both want to win get a tankless water heater… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-water-heater-question/378230.md?page=1)