On average, the lifespan of a water heater depends on the system you have in your home. The type of water in the area might also have an impact on the water heater system. A quality gas water heater is generally engineered with a lifespan of 8 to 12 years. On the other hand, you will find an electric water heater to have a life cycle of 10 to 15 years.
When your system is producing loud noises or leaking, it might be time to replace the water heater with an all-new energy-efficient system. Before purchasing a new system, you need to become familiar with the different sizes of water heaters available in the market. You also need to determine the place you are going to install it. Go through the article to know how to choose the right size of water heater for your home.
Water Heater Sizes
The requirements for water in residence will differ from an office or other commercial places. The correct size will also depend on variables like the average duration of your shower along with the number of people you have at home. The best water heaters for residential use are available in various sizes. You need to determine your average water consumption to make a uniform decision on size. Make sure to keep a few key factors in mind:
- Your Fuel Source: Determine what fuel source you are going to use. Is it liquid propane, natural gas, or electricity? Or, will the water heater be connected to your boiler? Make this decision first to help narrow down your options to make the shopping process easier.
- Physical Size: Ensure a designated space in your home to install your water heater.
- Household Size: Keep the size of your household members in mind when determining the size of your water heater. Do you live in a large house or small condo? Is it just you and your spouse, or do you have family members? The size, as well as the occupancy of your household, need to be considered when purchasing a water heater as you do not want the last person taking shower with cold water.
Considering Different Types of Water Heater and Their Sizes
While finding the right size of water heater, you need to decide the type you are willing to buy. Make sure you understand the must-know facts about the types of water and then select one. Mainly there are two main types of water heaters, such as:
- Storage tank water heaters and
- Tankless.
Storage Tank
You will find storage tank water heaters are more common than the ones without tanks. This kind of water heater usually features an insulated tank to store hot water until it is required. The delay of water heating and the running out of hot water happens due to the quantity of water the heater can heat in one hour or the storage tank units need a recovery time.
The more your family depends on hot water, the higher the recovery time you will need. You will find these water tanks at a low upfront cost. They are generally suitable for large households. The disadvantages of having these tanks are that there will be a limited amount of hot water in a given time, and you will find these tankless heaters more energy efficient.
What size storage tank water heater will be perfect to accommodate your family? The answer might vary depending on the number of family members along with the key factors mentioned above. For instance, a family consisting of 3 to 4 people will need to purchase a 50 to 60-gallon water heater. Whereas, a household that has 5 to 7 people might require a water heater of 60 to 80-gallon.
A 30-gallon water heater might be sufficient for you to provide enough warm water to do laundry, shower, as well as wash dishes when you live alone just with your spouse. You can use these sizes as a rough estimation for choosing the right water heater for your home.
Tankless Water Heater
Though a tankless water heater is a more expensive upfront, it will provide you with unlimited hot water. The units of tankless work by using built-in coils that heat the water whenever you need it. That means you will always get hot water as per your demand, making these types of heaters more efficient.
These water heaters are good at reducing your energy bills. But, while picking it, know that it provides a limited quantity of hot water per minute. You will find the newer tankless units supporting up to 9.8 gallons of water per minute which might allow multiple showers at once.
If you are willing to buy a tankless water heater, here are the sizes you will need based on your usage and average groundwater near 50 degrees:
- For 1 to 2 fixtures at once, you will need about 3.5 GPM.
- For 2 to 3 fixtures at once, you will need around 5 GPM.
- For 3 to 4 fixtures at once, you will need around 7 GPM.
- If you plan on using 5 or more fixtures at once, you might need more than one tankless unit at once to get enough hot water.
Final Thoughts
When repairing your water heater is not an option, replacing it with a new one will be the right thing to do. Remember, you will most likely need a water heater that has a higher capacity for accommodating a household where multiple people wash dishes with the faucet, run the dishwasher, do laundry, and take shower at the same time. But, for a small condo where you will just need hot water for yourself or one task at a time, you can have a smaller one. Determine all the facts given above and only then decide the right size of water heater you require.
