If you are among those who have a big family, you must be familiar with the constant war for the bathroom each day. It can be hard to get 5 minutes alone in the bathroom & also with enough hot water left to shower in, too!
Between family members who need to shower, batches of laundry that need to be cleaned & dirty dishes that must be washed, it’s very normal for a family to go through large amounts of hot water without even realizing it.
So what can you do if your hot water is continuously running out? Some solutions might be to get a bigger water tank & a better water heater. Let’s evaluate your options so you can pick the right type of water heater from Lone Star Water Services for your specific family’s needs.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TANK SIZE
Opting for a bigger tank because it can hold more water is an excellent option. The advantage of getting a bigger tank is that it will store more hot water at once. You can use either gas or electricity to heat the water. The installation process is short & tank water heaters are very cost-effective in terms of the unit’s cost & the cost to repair.
The downsides are that it will, however, take up more space & it will take longer to heat the water inside it, but this is because of the large quantity of water it holds, and this is what your family needs. Once that water is finished, it takes about 30–40 minutes for the average gas water heater to reheat & twice that amount of time for the average electric water heater.
If you decide to go with a tank water heater, your family’s size will be one factor that dictates the size of the tank you go for. A general way to estimate the size of the tank you’ll need is to add 12 gallons per family member. A 50-gallon tank would be adequate for the average family of 2–3 children. Other estimates assign a little more water for each person, saying you’ll need a 30–40-gallon tank for 1–2 people, 40–50 gallons for 3–4 people & 60–80 gallons for 5 or more people.
However, the fact is, these measures may vary from what your family’s water usage truly is since they fail to account for how frequently the members of your family shower, do laundry & use water in other ways. An experienced water heater repair technician can help you take your family’s needs into account and select the size that will be best for you.
GOING TANKLESS
What if tank water heaters are not working out for your family? In that case, another option you may want to consider is to invest in a tankless water heater. You can avoid a bulky water tank & you don’t have to wait for your water to heat up to the right temperature because the water is heated up almost immediately when you need it.
This can be a great option if you are getting tired of running out of hot water since a tankless heater will never “run out” of water. However, you still need to consider your family size, home size & usage habits. What if you’re running several showers or appliances at once & it overburdens your heater? In that case, your water still might not heat up to the desired temperature. Large families that would need the equivalent of an 80+ gallon tank water heater will probably need to install two tankless heaters to keep up with demand—but keep in mind that this option will be significantly more expensive.
IT’S PERSONAL
In the end, big families generally use more water than small ones because of the increased number of people in the household. Even so, it is still possible for a large family to get along with a smaller water heater if they take shorter showers, shower at different times instead of simultaneously, or do fewer loads of laundry—it all depends on your personal habits. Be sure to consider your options & needs when choosing a water heater for your family.
