There are a number of advantages to installing a tankless water heater in your Indianapolis area home, such as the potential to reduce your water-heating bill up to 40 percent on a monthly basis. Tankless water heaters have an efficiency advantage over traditional storage tank water heaters, since the tankless units don’t have to keep water hot in a tank on a continuous basis, even when the water isn’t being used. A tankless water heater provides hot water on demand.
For the more budget-minded who are looking to trim expenses wherever possible, tankless water heaters are a worthwhile upgrade, assuming you choose the right size for your home’s needs. So how do you determine the appropriate size for your home’s tankless water heater? To most accurately size a tankless water heater for your home’s needs, consider the maximum temperature rise possible at a given flow rate.
First, factor in the number of hot water appliances or needs in your home that you plan to run at the same time (washing machine, dishwasher, shower, etc). Then, to determine the flow rate, add up how many gallons of water per minute these devices will use. For instance, if you plan to run a sink (0.75 gallons per minute) and a shower (2.5 gallons per minute) at the same time, you will need a water heater that can handle a flow rate of 3.25 gallons per minute.
The second part of the sizing process for a tankless water heater is to determine temperature rise. To do this, subtract the incoming water temperate (say 50 degrees Fahrenheit) from the desired output temperature (generally 120 degrees for most uses, but may be closer to 140 for dishwasher use). Therefore, for typical hot water use, the temperature rise is 70 degrees.
A water heater with a temperature rise of 70 degrees can comfortably handle a flow rate of up to five gallons per minute when the water heater is gas-fired. Electric tankless water heaters with the same temperature rise can generally handle a flow rate of two gallons per minute. Larger homes likely will need a whole-house tankless unit supplemented by one or more smaller, point-of-use tankless units.
To learn more about how to choose the right size for your tankless water heater, please contact us today at Mowery Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing. We provide exceptional service in the Greater Indianapolis area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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