You can estimate the necessary tank capacity in gallons based on the number of people in the house.
Average water heater size gallons.
2 3 people you ll need at least a 40 gallon capacity tank.
What size water heater do i need.
A tankless water heaters flow rate should be equal to your family s peak demand.
Well to get an accurate answer you d have to calculate out how much hot water you typically use during your busiest hot water using hour.
If you re going with a storage tank water heater here s a rough guide for storage tank capacity.
Assuming your water temperature is 40 coming into your home and you want to produce enough hot water to run 2 showers at the same time what temperature rise would you need to produce to accomplish this.
In this instance you would need a water heater with a first hour rating of at least 72 gallons before you run out of hot water during that 1 hour period.
Usually most homeowners find that either a 40 or 50 gallon hot water tank is the best fit for their needs.
But if you only need a loose estimate of what size you need versus an exact calculation follow these guidelines.
However every family has different water demand requirements.
3 4 people need a 40 50 gallon water heater.
This tank size based on the scenario in step 2 is adequate for the peak hourly hot water requirements.
5 or more people need a 50 80 gallon water heater.
1 2 people you ll need a water tank with at least a 30 gallon capacity.
To properly size a storage water heater for your home including a heat pump water heater with a tank use the water heater s first hour rating.
An average shower will be between 104 106 and uses 2 6 gallons of water.
For 1 to 2 people.
To determine what size tankless water heater.
In most cases you would need a 50 gallon tank water heater in this situation considering most 40 gallon models have a lower fhr.
Typically residential water heater sizes range from 40 to 100 gallon tanks.
Utility water heaters usually range in size from 2 5 to 19 gallons.
For a tank style heater household size is a simple indicator of hot water needs.
Choose a hot water heater with a tank size in the range of 50 to 60 gallons on the fhr label.
Sizing storage and heat pump with tank water heaters.
Tankless water heaters capacities aren t measured in gallons stored but in flow rates.
30 40 gallons for 2 to 3 people.
Small storage tank water heaters known as point of use or utility water heaters are good choices for adding hot water to outbuildings shops or garages.