There are several things you need to consider when selecting a water heater for your home, including size, fuel type, energy efficiency, and recovery rate. Understanding hot water heater recovery rate is important if you want to make sure you have enough hot water for your home’s needs.
Consider the size of your home and the number of people living in your household. This will all help you estimate the amount of hot water you need available for showers, laundry, dishes, and any other household uses. If your hot water usage is high, then you’ll likely want a hot water heater with a high recovery rate to match it.
What Does Recovery Rate Mean?
The hot water heater recovery rate is the amount of hot water that your unit is able to offer in a given period of time, which serves to measure how quickly your hot water supply is replenished.
Every homeowner wants to keep their hot water heater healthy in return for plenty of hot water. This shouldn’t be confused with “first hour rating” which is the amount of hot water your heater is able to supply per hour, beginning with a full tank of hot water.
Your hot water heater recovery rate depends on several factors: wattage, temperature rise, and time frame of measuring the rate of recovery. The water heater recovery rate is typically measured in gallons per hour (gph).
Keep in mind that the size of a tank isn’t what matters as much as the water heater’s recovery rate. The number representing a hot water heater recovery rate tells you how fast, usually in the space of an hour, it takes for your hot water heater to heat the water.
The higher the gph, the faster a hot water heater will heat the water, meaning you’ll have more hot water.
What is a Good Recovery Rate for a Hot Water Heater?
When determining a good recovery rate for a hot water heater, it largely depends on your household’s needs. In many cases, you’ll see a residential water heater recovery rate average around 40 gph, though there are many models that can be as high as 50 to 60 gph.
It is not uncommon to find commercial hot water heaters with a recovery rate over 100 gph, even as high as 160 gph, but that is rare for a residential hot water heater.
Households that use a large amount of hot water tend to operate better with a high recovery water heater. This means that if you have a large family, or even a small one that uses up a lot of hot water, you may want to look for hot water heaters with a recovery rate of 50 gph or more.
Before deciding on your hot water recovery rate needs, consider the amount of hot water you use. Does your family take a lot of showers, do a lot of laundry, or have to run the dishwasher a lot? Do you have small kids who need regular baths? Do you want to be able to take more luxurious baths without running out of hot water?
Getting a hot water heater with a recovery rate too low for your home’s needs will only lead to early hot water heater replacements. Estimate your needs and do a quick water heater recovery rate calculation so you’ll know better what will suit your home.
High Recovery Water Heater Pros and Cons
When determining what type of hot water heater you want, you’ll obviously want to compare the pros and cons against other types of water heaters.
The obvious advantages to a high recovery hot water heater is that you’ll be out of hot water far less than with a regular hot water heater. You won’t need to wait as long for hot water after it’s run out.
Additionally, a high recovery hot water heater tends to be far more energy efficient, making them cheaper to operate in the long run than regular hot water heaters, and since they are better able to handle the hot water load of your home, you’ll have fewer issues with your hot water pressure.
A disadvantage to high recovery hot water heaters is that they tend to be more expensive than regular hot water heaters.
If you are going with a gas-fueled high recovery hot water heater, you’ll need to ensure that the room where your heater is installed is fire-rated with appropriate venting. This can make the installation process more difficult and expensive.
An electricity-fueled high recovery rate hot water heater won’t need the same fire-rating and venting, but they can still be more difficult to install than regular hot water heaters.
Get the Best Hot Water Heater for Your Home
Upgrading an old, poorly working hot water heater with a high recovery hot water heater can make the operations of your home go so much smoother.
If you need help figuring out what is a good recovery rate for a hot water heater for your home’s needs, doing your water heater recovery rate calculations, or if you’re ready to proceed with your hot water heater repair or installation, consult the experts at John C. Flood.
If you’re looking for a new water heater, we’re offering $75 off any water heater installation.
We’ve been establishing a reputation for high quality, fast, and reliable services for over 100 years and never miss an opportunity to help a homeowner in need. Call 703-214-5611 for Same Day Service today!
