If you are purchasing a water heater for your home, whether it is your first time or replacing your old or damaged one, one thing is certain: you must choose the right size and type for your home.
There are typically various types of water heaters in the market today, and they come in different sizes, making it quite challenging to pick the right one.
Remember that choosing the right size and type of water heater for your home is crucial as it can affect your daily comfort, overall utility cost, and energy efficiency you can contact water heater replacement Saratoga Springs professionals for any help you might need in choosing a water heater.
In this article, we are here to help you choose the right size and type of water heater for your household. Let’s get started!
Types of Water Heaters
Heat pumps, tankless systems, and storage tanks are the three primary categories of water heaters. Before choosing the right one for your home, it’s essential to understand them and their pros and cons.
Storage tank water heaters
These are the most popular water heaters, holding hot water in a tank until needed. They are reasonably priced to buy and easy to install and available in various sizes, from 20 to 80 gallons.
Nevertheless, storage tank water heaters can run out of hot water if used excessively due to their restricted hot water supply. Additionally, they are not energy-efficient because they continually heat and reheat the water in their tanks.
Tankless water heaters
On-demand or tankless water heaters heat water just when needed; they lack a storage tank. They are more energy-efficient because they don’t waste energy continuously heating stored water.
With a 20-year lifespan, tankless water heaters are more durable than storage tank heaters. But they come with a higher initial cost and can necessitate improvements to your house’s gas or electricity systems.
Heat pump water heaters
Heat pump water heaters are extremely energy-efficient because they heat water from the surrounding air. Warm climates where these units can efficiently extract heat from the air are ideal.
They are energy-efficient and have low operating costs. However, they require a higher initial cost and enough space with adequate ambient heat.
Factors To Consider When Choosing The Ideal Size of A Water Heater
Size of household
Your household size should be considered when choosing the best water heater. Naturally, a larger home with more members will need more hot water daily. In such cases, choosing a water heater with a larger capacity is essential to guarantee a consistent and comfortable supply of hot water for all your home’s demands.
Number of bathrooms
Considering the number of bathrooms in your house is essential because it will determine how much hot water you’ll require. One bathroom usually needs a water heater with a 30–40 gallon capacity, while two or more bathrooms need a minimum of 50-gallon capacity.
Hot water usage patterns
The size of the water heater you need is also influenced by how much hot water you use in your house.
A larger capacity water heater will be required if you have a large family and more people shower or bathe frequently than if you live alone and use hot water only for basic household chores like dishwashing and hand washing.
Available space
As stated, water heaters come in different sizes and may require specific clearances for installation. So, you must ensure that your space will fit the water heater before purchasing it. You can confirm that by measuring the amount of space you have and comparing it to the measurements of your preferred water heater.
