Determining the Correct Size Water Heater for Your Home
Determining the Correct Size Water Heater for Your Home
Your water heater provides hot water on demand for cooking, bathing, and household use. What size will give you enough hot water without wasting energy? In this short guide, we will review the factors to consider when determining how large your water heater should be.
Tank or Tankless?
Before you determine the proper size water heater for your home, you must decide which type of water heater you want. In short, you have two options: a tank water heater or a tankless one.
Things To Consider for Tankless Water Heaters
If you go with a tankless water heater, you need to know the flow rate. To determine this, you must calculate peak hot water usage. This could be during dinner time when using the dishwasher, in the morning when household members are showering for the day, or during laundry time. Then, take the cold water temperature from your faucet and determine how much the temperature needs to rise to reach 110 F. Your plumber will look at a chart containing this information to decide which tankless system is most compatible with your flow rate. This chart shows the flow of hot water at various temperature rises and will tell them which model is best for your home.
Things To Consider for Tank Water Heaters
If you choose a traditional tank water heater, you can use your household size to estimate your tank capacity. If you only have one or two people, you will need around a 30-gallon tank. Households with two to four people require around a 40-gallon tank. If three to five people live in your home, you’ll need approximately a 50-gallon tank. Households exceeding five people require an 80-gallon tank.
Another thing to consider for tanked water heaters is the first-hour rating, or FHR. This rating tells you how much hot water a tank can produce in an hour when fully heated. The FHR should be the same or higher than the number of gallons needed. You will also need to consider the space available to fit the unit and whether your unit is powered by gas or electricity.
Water Heater Professionals in Jackson
At Obermanns, we have almost 40 years of experience providing quality service to Jackson, MO residents. We pride ourselves on our HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair services. Let us repair your plumbing system or install a water heater that makes sense for your home. Contact Obermanns today for more information about water heaters in Jackson!
