Selecting a hot water tank seems pretty straightforward at first glance. If you have a large home or a large family, you might think that you need the biggest tank available. However, there are a lot more factors that go into selecting the right size tank for your home. If you choose a tank that is too large, you will never run out of hot water, but you will also run up your utility bill by heating and reheating water that you're not using. The goal, therefore, is to choose the size that meets your demand. Here's how to choose the right size heater for your home.

Determine Your Peak Usage Hour

Every home has a peak usage hour, the hour during which the most hot water is used. For most people, their peak hour is first thing in the morning when everyone is trying to get ready for the day. But yours might be during a different time of the day. For example, if you take your shower, run your dishwasher and do a few loads of laundry after dinner, your peak hour may be in the evening. 

Adding Up The Numbers

Think about your peak hour and write down all the activities that take place during this hour. The next step is to figure out how much water you generally use doing each of these activities. You can find averages for your usage online. For example, an average shower uses approximately 10 gallons, while doing a load of laundry uses 40 gallons. Add up how many gallons each activity uses during your peak hour and write it down. 

Shopping For Your New Heater

Hot water heaters are rated according to how much hot water they can produce during a peak hour. This number is referred to as the first hour rating, or FHR, and you can find it on each model's label. To select the right size heater, you must match the FHR to the number you calculated for your peak hour usage. It's that simple. 

It's not that difficult to select the right size water heater for your home, but it does take some homework. However, if you take a few minutes to run the figures, you will be able to rest easy knowing you will have enough hot water and that you're not being wasteful. For more information about water heaters, contact a plumber at Brother's Plumbing.

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