If you were to ask us about the most important appliance in your home, we’d have to say that your water heater tops the list, easily. After all, this is the one system in your home you need absolutely every day, for bathing, cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc.
Of course, since you do use it every day, it means that it uses a lot of your home’s electrical energy. Water heater tanks can suffer from something called “standby heat loss.” Essentially, this means that your water heater’s heat exchangers turn on to heat the water in the tank, but then when that water doesn’t get used, it cools down and the heat exchangers have to come back on to heat up the same exact batch. One way to resolve this issue? Make sure that you have the right sized tank, so no hot water is going to waste. If you’re looking at a water heater replacement, then this blog post is for you. Read on to learn just how to choose the right water heater tank size.
Step #1: Call Our Team!
The fact of the matter is that the professional plumbers here at HendrixAir have been doing this work for years. We understand the demands that households place on their water heaters. We’ll look at a number of factors to help determine the right size water heater tank for you. This will include the number of people in your household and the average hot water use time for your home to find your first-hour rating and peak hour demand. The first-hour rating defines the number of gallons of hot water that your water heater can supply per hour, beginning with a tank full of hot water–all of which will depend on the tank capacity, source of heat (gas or electric), and the size of the burner or element.
We will help you:
Determine what time during the day the most hot water gets used in your home.
Estimate your maximum usage of hot water during peak hour demand.
Energy.gov provides a worksheet for homeowners to determine this on their own, but we’re always here to help!
Step #2: Always Have Your Water Heater MaintainedMaintenance is key to ensuring that your water heater works as efficiently as possible, for as long as possible. So once you’ve installed a new water heater, make sure you properly care for it, otherwise the size of your water heater tank won’t matter much! Professional maintenance helps prevent:
Scaling: Scaling refers to the mineral buildup that occurs as the result of hard water–that is, water with a high concentration of minerals in it. These minerals typically consist of calcium and magnesium, and sometimes iron and trace amounts of aluminum. With the exception of aluminum, these minerals are harmless to ingest, however they can be very damaging to your plumbing, building up and creating clogs, and even coating the heat exchangers of your water heater, rendering the unit ineffective.
Rust and Corrosion: There is a very important component within your water heater tank called an anode rod. This is the second line of defense against rust and corrosion that could otherwise occur to the metal lining of your water heater. The first line of defense is a glass lining, but this cracks over time. The anode rod is checked during maintenance, and doesn’t last as long as the rest of the water heater, so needs to be replaced regularly.