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AKB - I have an 18 year old hot water heater. The temperature control started malfunctioning and now the water temperature is scalding hot. I cut off the electricity to it when I left the house this morning and decided to just replace the heater rather than invest in a repair given it’s age. It’s a 40 gallon electric heater in my shore condo which is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with an outdoor shower and laundry and dishwasher. Questions - is 40 gallons the right size? (There are just 2 of us living there). Are there any particular brands I should purchase? Are there any features available on water heaters now that are useful in terms of preventing leaks or other malfunctions? It’s been a long time obviously since I’ve looked at these. Thanks for any advice.
I just replaced a gas water heater after 12 years. I've been in my house for 23 years and now on my third, so I guess the first one lasted about 11. If I knew I was going to be in my house for another 10 + years, I would have installed a tankless unit. The cost was not that much more, but when comparing, we paid more than double the price of the prior install. Another challenge, specifically for us, was that the tankless unit was not immediately available (Supply Chain, yadda, yadda...) and we needed it urgently. I suppose with electric, you can do it yourself, so that could make a difference in your calculation.
As far as features, I know there are apps that can alert you of a leak. Not sure about preventing them. They also make pans you can sit them in that will allow you to funnel the water to a particular location in the event of a leak.
For size, here is what Bob Vila says:
For a tank-style heater, household size is a simple indicator of hot water needs.
You can estimate the necessary tank capacity (in gallons) based on the number of people in the house:
- 1 or 2 people—23 to 36 gallons
- 2 to 4 people—36 to 46 gallons
- 3 to 5 people—46 to 56 gallons
- 5 or more people—over 56 gallons (add 10 gallons per additional person)
