Estimating Hot Water
Needs: What Size Should You Get?
In general, your hot
water needs can be measured by the number of bathrooms in your
house. The smallest size unit for a one-bathroom house should be 30
or 40 gallons, in either gas or electric. For a 1 1/2-bath house, 40
gallons is minimum. For a 2- to 3 1/2-bath house, choose a 50-gallon
gas heater or a 66- to 80-gallon electric one.
Electric considerations
Electric water heaters take longer to heat water, so large tanks
should be bigger than their gas-fired counterparts. For a large,
four-bath house or a home with an extra-large bathtub, get a
75-gallon gas heater or a 120-gallon electric heater. Some
circumstances can skew these standards for example, a laundry-heavy
family with small children or a house with an especially large
bathtub will mean much higher hot water use than normal.
Metrics
A typical load of laundry uses 22 gallons of mixed water. The amount
of hot water depends on the temperature you choose. A typical bath
uses 43 gallons of mixed water. The amount of hot water depends on
the temperature you choose.
Water heater sizes
Water heaters come in three basic sizes for homes 30-, 40- and
50-gallon units although you can find larger ones if necessary. You
can find out how large your current tank is by looking at the
nameplate. A good rule of thumb is that you can usually replace your
old one with a new one of the same capacity unless you've recently
added a bathroom, dishwasher or washer or are planning a new
addition or appliances in the near future. You might also want to
take advantage of the newer, more energy-efficient models.
Gas vs. electric
In general, gas water heaters win the battle. A water heater's
capacity is a result of two factors: storage and recovery time (how
quickly it can heat a tankful of water). With recovery, both gas and
electric water heaters are rated by the number of gallons of water
they can raise to 90 degrees F in one hour.
For example, a 40-gallon gas heater rated at 40,000 BTU can
"recover" more than its entire capacity (41 gallons) in one hour. A
similar capacity electric heater running at 240 volts will only heat
half of its capacity (20 gallons) in an hour. Propane heaters are
most often found in rural areas..
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