In the A. O. Smith research labs, our engineering team works round the clock producing brilliant solutions because efficiency means everything to us. If we can get maximum efficiency out of making even the tiniest bolt better, you can be sure it is getting done.
Complete vertical integration
A. O. Smith produces everything in a water heater. The tank, the elements, the bolts, the screws, you name it. This assures that we get full control of the quality of the finished product. Specialization is rare in this day and age, where everyone is scrambling to be all things to all people. We are the only water heater company left in the world that does everything on our own.
New technology: Inlets!
Which brings us to our latest NEW technology. Water heater inlets! But what exactly are water heater inlets?
Simply put, water comes into your heater tank through an inlet and exits the tank to your shower via the outlet. Inlets are the most unnoticed part of the water heater, but this is where our new technology is.
Above is the image of the outlet. Traditionally, outlets and inlets are simply metal tubes placed in the tank. You can see that the outlet goes right to the top of the tank! The hottest water in the tank has the lowest density and floats to the top, where it is thereafter drawn out.
Look at our inlets! They are not the regular tubes but are designed with tiny layers. Why is this so? These layers on the specially designed tube change the direction of the incoming water flow in an interesting way.
So, what Difference it can make?
In normal Gen 1 Electric Heaters, incoming high pressure water from the inlet shoots up to the top of the tank which, unfortunately, disrupts the topmost layer of hot water. As such, water drawn out from the outlet tube gets mixed with cold incoming water. This design flaw means that the user does not always get the hottest water available.
AOS heaters on the other hand, are fitted with special patented inlets that redirects the water jet in a parallel direction. This ensures that incoming water is kept quite close to the tank base. The hot water at the top remains ‘undisturbed’, providing users with the best shower experience.
