What Size Tankless Water Heater is the Best?
Most modern households have invested in both electric and gas tankless water heaters. With the growth in technology, most people have disposed of the traditional water heaters and moved to tankless water heaters. With these water heaters, you will always have an unlimited supply of hot water in your household any time you need it. Also, you will be able to save on energy since they consume little electricity. They are low maintenance, easy to install, come in compact sizes, and have long term warranties. All these reasons have made them popular over time and are increasingly being used in most commercial and residential areas.
You may be out there looking forward to purchasing a tankless water heater but you are not sure of the size to go for. Most people and especially first-time tankless water heater users get stuck on determining the best water heater size to go for. This is because there is a big difference between a tankless water heater and a traditional one. You need to note that tankless water heaters have a specific flow rate per minute which is why you need to make sure you have the right size to save on energy. These are some of the reasons why buyers have a hard time when choosing the best tankless water heater according to size. Luckily, we have prepared a guide through which you will be able to figure out the best size of a tankless water heater to purchase. Let us go through the guide together.
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Size of the House
Tankless water heaters come in different sizes. Even though most of them are capable of providing your entire household with hot water, you would need to consider their efficiency. Going for tankless water heaters with a bigger capacity would be better than purchasing one with a smaller capacity. Water heaters with a small capacity will also limit you in terms of the amount of water to be heated at a time. We advise buyers to go for well-sized water heaters since they give room for heating large amounts of water at a go.
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Number of Users
The number of users in your household also determines the size of the water heater you should go for. There are those days when the water usage will be high while on other days the usage is low. How many people use your bathroom consistently per week? What is the mode of operating the tankless water heater? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself before deciding on the size of the water heater to go for. With that in mind, go for a tankless water heater that is capable of managing different hot water needs as they arise. Purchase a big tankless water heater when your household or commercial area has a high hot water usage. For small households, make sure not to go for a tankless water heater that is too small since water usage may go up as days go by.
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Water Flow Rate in your Household
What amount of hot water do you need in your household? How many showers or taps will be running at a time? The answer to those questions will determine the size of the tankless water heater you should go for. The best thing is for you to go for a tankless water heater that provides you with more hot water than you need at a time.
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How Many Gallons does the Tankless Water Heater Deliver per Minute?
Flow rate per minute is another factor that you need to consider before purchasing a tankless water heater. You will be able to determine the capacity of tankless water heaters through the water flow rate. To get excellent results, ensure that you are aware of the exact flow rates of faucets in your household. In a case where you are purchasing a water heater for a specific room, you need only need to go for a tankless water heater with a small capacity and vice versa. With those considerations, you will be sure to receive a continuous flow of hot water.
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Power Source
With a power source, we may not recommend either a gas or electric water heater since those depend on the user’s preference and circumstances. However, for heavy hot water users, it would be best to go for gas tankless water heaters since they are most affordable. Also, compared to electric water heaters, the gas ones produce large amounts of hot water efficiently. Operating them is also cheap since gas prices are lower than electricity. On the other hand, unlike gas water heaters, electric tankless water heaters are easy to install. This is because you do not need piping or venting of fuel. This also reduces the costs that would be used for installation. It is worth noting that, those in areas that have power outages now and then need to go for gas tankless water heaters. This will helps them receive consistent hot water without any challenges.
How do you Size a Tankless Water Heater?
For you to excellently size your tankless water heater, you need to be aware of the temperature of the groundwater, the temperature you target to achieve, and the flow rate of the hot water. The temperature of your area determines how cold or hot the groundwater will be. This means that without a water heater, the water on the tap will be of that temperature. The temperatures you target are quite easy since they all depend on your preference. Some prefer cold or look warm water while others prefer hot water. To know the flow rate of your hot water, you need to know the flow rate of each gadget in your house. You then add them together to determine the actual hot water flow rate of the tankless water heater. The above factors will enable you to choose an excellent size that will suit all your needs.
We advise all first-time buyers of tankless water heaters to take their time to go through all the factors we have discussed before deciding on the size of the tankless water heater to purchase.
