Is Your Water Heater the Right Size for Your Home?

Is it time for you to replace your home’s water heater? Or perhaps you are installing a water heater in your new home? Either way, you want to make sure that the water heater size is correct. The reason for this is because the right-sized water heater will meet your household’s hot water needs, while operating at peak efficiency. If your water heater is too small, then naturally you will run out of hot water when you still need it, such as when you’re in the middle of taking a shower. However, if your tank is too large, then you are heating water you won’t use, which is a waste of your money.

How Do I Select the Right Size?

There are a couple numbers that plumbers look at to help determine the right sized water heater for your home. One of the numbers plumbers look for is the first hour rating (FHR). This is a measure of how much hot water the heater will deliver during a busy hour, such as first thing in the morning.  Printed on the water heater’s EnergyGuide label is the first hour rating. If you want to double check for yourself, you can use the formula below.

• Allocate 12 gallons of hot water per person in your household.
• Take the number of bedrooms in your home and add 1.
• Multiply this amount by the 12 gallon allotment and the resulting number is the minimum FHR rating your home needs.

The other number you’ll want to pay attention too is the energy factor, or EF. The higher this number is, the more efficient your water heater tank is. Observing the EF along with the FHR number is how to ensure you have the most efficient water heater available for your home.

For water heater services in North Palm Beach, FL and beyond, contact Kwik Plumbers today!