Patent ID: 8770152

Claim:
A water heater comprising: a temperature sensing assembly including: a housing that defines a polymeric well with an enclosed end and an open end; a temperature sensor situated in the polymeric well adjacent the enclosed end, with one or more sensor wires extending from the temperature sensor toward the open end; a water tank for holding water, the water tank having a wall with an aperture extending through the wall, wherein at least part of the polymeric well of the housing extends through the aperture in the wall such that the enclosed end of the polymeric well is exposed to water in the water tank, at least part of the housing remaining outside of the water tank; a heating source disposed proximate the water tank for heating the water in the water tank; the temperature sensor of the temperature sensing assembly producing a temperature signal that is related to an actual temperature of the water in the water tank, wherein the temperature signal includes at least at times a thermal differential and/or thermal lag relative to the actual temperature of the water in the water tank due to a partial thermal isolation of the temperature sensor caused at least in part by the temperature sensor being separated from the water in the water tank by the polymeric well of the housing; and a controller in communication with the temperature sensor via the one or more sensor wires, the controller configured to determine, at least while the heating source is energized during a current heating cycle, a command temperature to be used in controlling the water heater during the current heating cycle, the command temperature based at least in part on the temperature signal in order to at least partially compensate for the thermal differential and/or thermal lag of the temperature signal, the controller further configured to regulate the heating source based at least in part upon the command temperature.