How to Choose the Right Water Heater for Your House? It might be difficult to imagine living without a water heater. It gives you the hot water you need for bathing, cleaning, and doing the laundry.
However, choosing the right one for your house is not an easy task, as it requires you to take a bunch of different things into consideration.
If you do not know where to start, here you can find which water heater is best for residential use. In addition to that, you can read up on different kinds of water heaters and see which one is most likely to suit your needs.
There are many different kinds of water heaters, ranging from solar and gas water heaters to immersion ones. On top of that, you should think about your chosen water heater’s size, price, brand, and storage capacity.
If that sounds a bit overwhelming, do not worry, and just keep reading! In this article, you will find a few basic tips on choosing the right water heater for your house.
How Much Hot Water Do You Need?
The amount of hot water that you require might seem to be an easy thing to figure out, but in reality, it is quite challenging to do.
You have to take into account the number of people living in your home, the amount of time each person spends in the shower, how often you tend to do your laundry, and so on.
However, it is the only way to determine how much hot water you will need every day.
In addition to that, it is important that you do not forget about the fact that your family might expand and that you might have people visiting you and staying at your house.
The more water you need, the bigger the heater’s capacity should be! If you do not want to make a mistake, check the capacity of the water heater that you are thinking about purchasing before making a purchase.
Tank and Tankless Water Heaters
Water heaters can be divided into water heaters with storage tanks and tankless systems. The latter does not hold any water and delivers hot water instantly when needed, meaning that it is smaller in size and much more expensive in comparison to a model with a storage tank.
The biggest advantage of having a tankless system is that it uses significantly less energy to deliver hot water when compared to tanked models.
That being said, tankless systems are not great for houses with lots of occupants. Such systems do not hold water and need to keep on drawing water, which is a task that requires lots of energy.
Moreover, if you enjoy taking long showers and will have visitors who use lots of hot water, tanked models are better and will provide you with more hot water when needed!
How Much Can You Spend On Maintenance?
The cost of maintenance depends on many factors, including the kind of heater you buy, the material it is made of, and how often you will use it.
Most people choose stainless steel water heaters, as such heaters are durable and do not require too much maintenance.
The same applies to solar heaters, which are environmentally friendly and will not cost you much in terms of maintenance.
Ideally, you should get information regarding how much money you should expect to pay for repairing/replacing parts of your water heater before you make a purchase.
If possible, get an extended warranty so that you will not have to worry about paying thousands of dollars for repairs.
Electric and Gas Water Heaters
Electric water heaters look almost identical to gas ones. However, the electric ones use electricity instead of natural gas to generate heat for heating water.
Proponents of electric water heaters claim that they are more cost-effective and environment-friendly, as they do not release greenhouse gases while operating and do not need any additional equipment besides an electric outlet in order to work.
On the other hand, critics argue that electric models tend to be less efficient in comparison with gas ones, as they do not generate enough heat in order to heat water quickly enough for long showers.
Also, if there is a power outage, an electric water heater is guaranteed to stop working until the power comes back on.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, a water heater is something that is incredibly important for your household. If you want to be able to use hot water whenever you need it, investing in the right one is a must.
If you have doubts regarding the type of water heater that you want to get, thinking about the things mentioned in this article should do the trick!
If you feel lost and confused, do not worry. Instead, contact a company that specializes in installing and maintaining water heaters. Such a company should be able to help you make the right choice in no time!