Hot Water Heater Service and Installation
Electric Hot Water Heater & Gas Hot Water Heater Service and Installation
“Our goal is to get your hot water back – today!”
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Water Heaters Come in a Variety of Sizes
Both residential gas and electric water heaters come in
a variety of sizes but the most common are:
- 40 gallon Water Heater
- 50 gallon Water Heater
- 66 gallon Water Heater
- 75 gallon Water Heater
- 80 gallon Water Heater
- 120 gallon Water Heater
The majority of homes in Auburn, CA have a 40 or 50 gallon tank with the 50 gallon tank being the most common. Larger tanks such as a 66 or 80 gallon tank are usually only used in larger homes. Recently Builders have designed dual water heater systems creating zones to reduce the distance of hot water travel. This reduces the amount of energy used by the water heater.
Is it possible to upsize or downsize My water heater?
You may be interested in installing a larger tank. It can be for longer showers, or if you recently installed a large soaking tub. In most cases there is enough space around the existing water heater location to increase the capacity of your water heater.
When upsizing to a larger tank, we will ensure that your entire system is installed safely and typically this will entail increasing the size of the vent on gas water heaters. Larger tanks emit a larger volume of carbon monoxide and as a result, must have a larger vent in order to be safely installed.
Occasionally a customer will choose to downsize their tank from 66 and 80 gallon tanks to more common 50 gallon tanks because of the increased energy efficiency. This is fine in most cases.
We do not recommend downsizing from a 50 gallon tank to a 40 gallon tank, because, 40 gallon tanks are typically comparable in price and operational cost to 50 gallon tanks.
How Do Tanks Compare in Terms of Efficiency and Hot Water Output?
Four measures of how a hot water tank operate
1. Efficiency Rating
Efficiency rating is a measure of the percentage of heat transfer from the energy source to your water. Standard electric tanks range from 88-95% efficiency while standard gas tanks range from 55-65% efficiency. Electric tanks allow for higher energy transfer because electric tanks heat your water through heating elements which are submerged in the water, while gas fired tanks are heated from below through a gas burner.
Despite higher efficiency ratings, typically electric tanks are more expensive to operate as the cost of electricity needed to heat your water is higher than the cost of gas needed to heat your water. So, while heat transfer is more efficient in electric tanks, this does not mean that your overall energy usage is less in an electric tank.
Regardless, the higher the efficiency rating of your tank, the less energy is wasted in heating the water.
2. Recovery Rate
Recovery rate is the amount of hot water your tank can produce in the space of one hour assuming a 90° F increase in water temperature. Electric tanks typically produced approximately 20-22 gallons of hot water in an hour while gas tanks 30-40 gallons in an hour. So, on average, gas tanks produce more hot water at a faster rate.
3. First Hour Rating
First hour rating is simply the amount of hot water your tank can produce in one hour of continuous usage and is a function of the gallon capacity and the recovery rate. 50 gallon gas tanks will typically have a first hour rating in the range of 70-80 gallons; 50 gallon electric tanks will typically have a first hour rating around 60 gallons.
4. Estimated Operating Costs
Estimated operating costs are typically provided by the manufacturer but are highly subject to energy prices. Assuming average usage and $0.086/kilowatt hour in electricity costs, your electric tank will cost around $400 to operate per year. Assuming $0.50/therm gas cost and average usage, your gas tank will cost you around $120-130 to operate per year.
Call Today. “You Auburn Plumbing Service Professional Will work with you to make sure your new water heater meets your usage needs, provides maximum energy efficiency, and lowest lifetime operating cost to you.”
Click here to Call or, Dial (530)430-PLUMber (7586)
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