Sizing of a “Storage Tank Type” Water Heater

My Uncle Ted, who is in his late 80’s, recently told me how folks used to heat water to bathe. The kids would fetch water either from a well or a nearby creek, transfer it to a cast iron pot which would be placed on a pot bellied stove or fireplace, where the water would be heated. This would continue until the family “tub” became full and hot enough. Then the man would take his bath first. (Please keep in mind that in today’s world, the water would then be drained and the tub refilled for the next person, right?) Well, back to my story. Next the lady of the house would take her bath. Now, if you are wondering if this was in the same water the man just bathed himself in, well you are right! Then the kids in order of age-the oldest to the youngest. I can only imagine how cold and dirty the water was for the last person. So much for the good ol’ days!

Thank goodness in today’s world, there are many ways to heat the incoming water for your home. This luxury of hot water can them be made available for cooking, bathing, washing clothes or that evening soak in your hot tub.

Types of hot water heaters include:
1. Storage tank type water heaters which are still the most common utilized today. They can be fueled by electricity, natural gas, propane or oil.
2. On-demand or instantaneous water heaters, do not utilize a storage tank, but heat the water only when you require it.
These are fueled by electricity, natural or propane gas.
3. Solar water heaters, utilize the energy of the sun to heat the water.
Many homes use them to pre-heat the water before it goes into a conventional
storage tank type water heater. The reasoning is this, when a storage tank water heater is “fed” with cold water it takes a lot of energy to heat this water to the temperature the thermostat is set at. By pre-heating the incoming water before it gets to the storage tank type water heater, you not only cut down on energy costs, but typically extend the life of your water heater.

FHR-“First Hour Rating”
Whether you are replacing an aging unit or considering a new unit for a home expansion or new home construction, you must consider how much hot water you will use at the busiest time of your day. This is known as the “first hour rating” or FHR.

Some considerations are the number of people in your household. Two or three growing teenagers use much more hot water than just mom and dad. Also do you have a hot tub?

Here are some general guidelines you can use:

Family Size Gallons Needed
1-2 people 50 – 60 gallons
3-4 people 60 – 80 gallons
5-6 people 120 gallons

This does not include any extra-features included in your home that require additional volume of hot water, including hot tubs or large volume whirlpool.

EF-Efficiency Rating
Normally electric water heaters are more energy efficient but are more expensive to operate than natural gas.
Electric units average between 0.7 to 0.95 EF and gas units between 0.5 and .06 EF with a few high-efficiency units around 0.8 EF.
Which ever type you choose, purchase the unit with the highest efficiency rating.

Once your water heater is installed, you will want to
1. Insulate your hot water lines. This will help by retaining the heat in your water lines once they are warm. Tremendous amount of water is wasted while waiting for hot water.
2. Also you may want to consider a recirculation pump.
Please check out the folks at http://www.gothotwater.com for a unique and effective water recirculation system that could save you thousands of gallons of water per year and is very easy to install. You may order their products by calling 866-977-2537 or e-mail sales@wallingfordsales.com.
3. A blanket for your hot water heater will help retain its heat, especially if it is located in a cold damp basement. You know all about the importance of blankets if you were born up North.

We sincerely hope this information is helpful to you.
We appreciate you visiting http://www.wallingfordsales.com