Having hot water for things like bathing and cleaning is an absolute necessity for our modern standard of living. Whether you’re looking to purchase your very first water heater or need a replacement for your old one, you have different options to choose from. Below, we’ll discuss these options and help you decide on the appropriate one to meet your needs.
Tank Water Heaters
The first and most traditional option is the tank-style water heater. This type of water heater has a large cylindrical storage tank that holds water and has internal heating elements or a burner that warms up the water to your set temperature. When you turn on the faucet, this water heater can supply a set amount of hot water until it runs out. This is known as its capacity, and it’s important to choose a water heater with a capacity that slightly exceeds your home’s needs.
Tank water heaters have capacities given in the form of gallons, ranging anywhere from as low as 30 all the way up to 120 or more. In general, most plumbing experts recommend that smaller households of about one to two people get a water heater with a capacity of 40 gallons. If you have a household with around three to four people, usually 60 gallons is ideal. If your home has five or more people living in it, choosing an 80-gallon or higher water heater will typically meet your needs.
The goal is to choose a capacity that will supply you with enough hot water for things like cleaning, bathing, and running your appliances. However, you don’t want the capacity to be so small that you run out of hot water while trying to do these activities. You can speak with one of our plumbing professionals to get a better idea of the appropriately sized water heater for your home.
Tankless Water Heaters
Unlike tank-style water heaters, tankless water heaters don’t use a storage tank to hold hot water. Rather, they simply turn on and warm up the water as it flows throughout the water heater. While tankless water heaters can provide you with an endless amount of hot water, they can only heat the incoming water to a certain temperature, depending on their capacity. Capacities for tankless water heaters are given in the form of gallons per minute, or GPM for short.
Just like with tank-style water heaters, there are some set recommendations for appropriate sizing depending on the size of your household. In general, homes with one to two people can use around a five GPM water heater, while those with three to four people may need an eight GPM water heater. If you have a larger household with five or more people, you’ll need a tankless water heater with a GPM of 10 or more. It’s fairly common to use more than one tankless water heater in these situations.
Understanding Water Needs by Activity
While the above estimates based on the number of people in your home can be helpful for giving you a general ballpark of the capacity or GPM of your new water heater, you can be more precise when determining the exact size you need. One of the best ways to do this is to understand how much hot water particular activities take.
The average shower takes about 2 GPM or about 10 to 15 total gallons. Running a washing machine usually takes 30 gallons or about 2.5 GPM. Running your bathroom faucet usually takes you around 1 GPM or 1 to 2 gallons. A typical dishwasher will use about 1.5 GPM or between 6 and 10 total gallons.
If you plan on simultaneously using your hot water with a lot of these appliances and plumbing fixtures, it’s best to add up the total usage of each one to get a combined usage total. This will give you a more accurate determination of your hot water needs for a given water heater.
First-Hour Rating
Apart from these basics, there are some other helpful terms you’ll want to understand with respect to new water heaters so you can choose one that more accurately meets your needs. All tank water heaters have a first-hour rating, or FHR for short. This number designates how much hot water the water heater can produce in its first hour of full use. A water heater’s capacity and fuel type are significant factors in determining its FHR.
Recovery Rate
One other factor you’ll want to consider when purchasing a tanked water heater is its recovery rate. This describes how fast the unit can reheat water after it’s been fully depleted. Typically, you’ll find that gas water heaters have a much faster recovery rate than their electrical counterparts.
Temperature Rise
One factor you’ll want to look at in a tankless water heater is its temperature rise. The temperature rise is how much the unit can heat up the incoming water to your desired temperature. For example, a tankless water heater with a rise of 60 degrees Fahrenheit will be able to heat up incoming water from 60 degrees to 120 degrees. It’s highly advantageous to understand the water temperature coming into your home from your main water supply line.
Remember that the water may be slightly colder in the winter months, as you’ll want to accommodate that with the temperature rise rating of your new water heater. First, decide what you want your indoor water temperature to be; most people choose around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, by subtracting the incoming water temperature from your desired water temperature, you can determine what mandatory temperature rise your new tankless water heater must have.
Fuel Type
Another thing you want to consider with respect to the sizing of your new water heater is the type of fuel it uses. Water heaters can use one of a few different types of fuel, including natural gas, propane, and electricity. In general, natural gas heats up much quicker than electricity due to its high burn point.
This usually means you can get away with a smaller size water heater when using natural gas as compared to using electricity. However, you must keep in mind that water heaters using natural gas need to have proper venting and gas lines run to them. This need for venting and a connection to a gas line can limit the area where you can place a gas water heater, as compared to an electric model that only requires wiring to function.
Because natural gas boasts a higher FHR and faster recovery time, it’s typically a great option for larger households and those who consume a lot of hot water. If you’re not concerned with having a larger tank or you don’t need a high GPM tankless water heater, then an electric one can be much cheaper to purchase and offer more placement locations throughout your home.
Reliable Water Heater Installation Service
A/C & Plumbing Doctors provides reliable water heater installation service to the Gilbert, AZ community. Our plumbing services experts can also assist with all your water heater replacement, repair, and maintenance needs. Call us today to book your next service appointment.
