Average Water Heater Capacity

For 1 to 2 people.

Average water heater capacity.

The first hour rating is the number of gallons of hot water the heater can supply per hour starting with a tank full of hot water. 120 volt elements consume 1125 watts while residential 240 volt heaters use 4 500 watts. Tankless water heaters come in two types gas or electric. If you re going with a storage tank water heater here s a rough guide for storage tank capacity.

You can estimate the necessary tank capacity in gallons based on the number of people in the house. For a tank style heater household size is a simple indicator of hot water needs. The largest of these miniature units can also be used to provide hot water to secondary bathrooms that may be situated far from your home s main water heater. Simply locate the appropriate water heater sizes on ecomfort using your information.

A tankless water heaters flow rate should be equal to your family s peak demand. For 2 to 3 people. Consequently these are the two most frequently installed sizes. Well to get an accurate answer you d have to calculate out how much hot water you typically use during your busiest hot water using hour.

2 3 people need a 40 gallon water heater. On average gas fired heaters are more efficient and heat the water. 5 or more people need a 50 80 gallon water heater. 3 4 people need a 40 50 gallon water heater.

Typically residential water heater sizes range from 40 to 100 gallon tanks. Usually most homeowners find that either a 40 or 50 gallon hot water tank is the best fit for their needs. However every family has different water demand requirements. But if you only need a loose estimate of what size you need versus an exact calculation follow these guidelines.

Below we ve highlighted what size water heater you would need in our example of 6 5 gpm at a 63 f temperature rise. How to determine the required size of a tankless hot water heater. Tankless water heaters capacities aren t measured in gallons stored but in flow rates. 2 3 people you ll need at least a 40 gallon capacity tank.

1 2 people you ll need a water tank with at least a 30 gallon capacity. Once you have your total flow rate and the required temperature rise you can find the right size tankless water heater for your home. To properly size a storage water heater for your home including a heat pump water heater with a tank use the water heater s first hour rating.