outdoor heaters home depot
What size water heater do I need?
It has to be electric, and there will be me and my fiancee in the condo (so there won’t be any outdoor uses of water like watering lawns or filling up pools – we’ll basically need hot water for the shower, dish washer, and washing machine). I’m being told different things: Home Depot says 40 gallons is more than enough, but 2 independent plumbers say that 40 gallons is too small because electric takes longer to heat up. Who is right?
Really depends on your usage patterns. If both of you take half hour showers in the morning while running a load of laundry and the dishwasher, you need a really big water heater. If you stagger your showers and take shorter ones, and schedule the laundry and dishwasher for overnight, you may only need 5 or 10 gallons… less if you wash clothes in cold water or the dishwasher has its own water heater. Also less if you’ve got water efficient appliances like a front loading washer.
If you’ve got time of day power pricing, shifting as much power load (like for heating water) off-peak can really save.
How big is the current heater? Have you ever run out of hot water with it?
