How to Get Yourself into Hot Water

Like other plumbing features of your home, you may not think much about your hot water heater until the morning you have to take a cold shower because your old heater has conked out. Unquestionably, you'll spend time on the phone that day, trying to assure you will have your usual hot shower tomorrow!

How do you decide the right size water heater for your home? There are a number of factors to consider, but the best place to start is to consider the peak demand that is typically required from your water heater. For many people, the peak comes when most of the occupants of the house bathe, generally mornings or before bedtime. This chart shows about how much water is consumed for each activity.

Decide what activities might occur simultaneously, or within close proximity as a peak scenario, and choose a heater that can handle the required load. For example, for a family of four, one adult may shower at 7:30 a.m., using 15 gallons, then shave, using three gallons. Another adult might then shower at 7:45 a.m., using another 15 gallons. At 8 a.m., breakfast preparation might consume another three to five gallons, and at 8:15 a.m., two children wash their hands, using another three or four gallons. That adds up to around 40 gallons used in less than an hour.

            It is also helpful to consider that hot water supplied by a storage heater becomes cooler before the total capacity is used up because of the mixing of the incoming cold water.

            Another important factor is how hot is the temperature setting on the unit. It is critical to choose a reasonable temperature because the scalding of infants and the elderly is a real hazard, even when the setting is within proper limits. An infant's skin is thinner and is more subject to burns than an adult's. In fact, a setting of 125 degrees F can scald skin in about 90 seconds. At 130 degrees F, scalding can occur in about 30 seconds. A recommended safe setting is 120 degrees F.