How is water heater recovery rate calculated?
When you use up all the hot water, your water heater has a recovery period before it will have hot water again. Every brand and model has a different recovery period, of course the better the brand and model, the faster the recovery. However, each brand has its own model of high recovery water heater, with the average around 55 gallons within an hour.
What that means to you is that with a high recovery water heater, your 50 gallon capacity water heater will be able to furnish you hot water in an hour. What is the difference between a high recovery water heater vs regular water heater? The water heaters with less recovery will have up to 40 gallons of water heated within that same hour.
The recovery rate is the volume of hot water a water heater can produce during a specific time frame. There are several factors that can affect that volume of hot water be produced:
- Heating element wattage
- Size of burner
- Temperature setting
- Time frame allowed
The Recovery Rate is commonly specified out by the number of gallons that are produced based on a 100º ascent in temperature within an hour. Today, 90 degrees is used for the baseline in most places versus the 140 degrees in the past.
To determine how long it will take a water to recover the amount of water drained to get at the same temperature, this generic number is an example of how to calculate that information: BTU times recovery efficiency = pounds of water heated one degree. Take that number and divide it by 8.33 then divide that by the required temperature increase desired.
How long does it take for a water heater to fully recover?
Water heaters may be the hardest working appliance in every home. It is faithful in creating hot water for every bath, load of dishes or laundry, and cooking. The average home with 1.5 bathrooms have a forty-gallon water heater.
The hot water recovery time varies between electric water heaters and gas water heaters. An electric forty-gallon water heater will recover the spent hot water in two hours on the average. A forty-gallon gas water heater recovers its spent hot water within one hour.
What is recovery efficiency in a water heater?
For example, a gas water heater is said to have a recover rate of 75%, meaning that 75% of the gas burner heat is actually used to heat the water and 25% of the heat is wasted up the vent. An electric water heater however, with a heating element that is immersed has 99% recovery rate, meaning only one percent of the energy is wasted.
It is important to note that while an electric water heater uses less energy to heat the water than a gas water heater, however, because the gas unit takes less recovery time, less gas is used compared to the amount of electricity used. A 50 gallon high recovery water heater offers hot water fifty percent faster than a standard 50 gallon water heater. This attracts the attention of homeowners a jacuzzi or teenagers.
How do I know if my water heater is working?
The following are indications that your water heater is not working:
- You run out hot water: If all you’re able to get from your water heater is one shower or one load in the dishwasher, then you need to replace your water heater. If you have a busy household, aka, kids, then consider upgrading to a high recovery water heater.
- Water temperature varies: If you have really hot water one time and the next time you have to wait for it to get lukewarm, it is time to replace that unit with a new water heater.
- Leaking water heater: when you hear water dripping in the drip pan or you find water in the floor around the water heater, it is past time to replace the unit.
- 4. Water flow reduced: If you have sudden drop in water flow or water pressure, it could be your water heater needs to be flushed to remove any buildup of sediment. However, if your water heater is close to 10 years old or older, replace it now!
- Noises and sounds: A water heater should not be noisy to the point you hear it above everything else in your house. Any banging, boiling, cracking, or gurgling sounds indicates your water heater is full of sediment and sludge. Flushing it out may help, but chances, it simply needs to be replaced.
- Discolored and smelly water: When you notice a strange odor like rotten eggs coming from your water faucets, or the water heater smells like burning, or the water is discolored in a muddy or rusty color, that water heater is done. That is what you’re bathing in and cooking with and it is full of bacteria you don’t want to ingest.
- The age of your water heater: The average water heater will give you up to 10 to 12 years of use, after that 10th year, start shopping for a new water heater.
Which type of water heater typically has the highest recovery rate?
The best high recovery water heater is an electric unit. Electric water heaters for residential use typically have a one-hundred percent recovery efficiency because of the immersion-style elements. Electric water heaters don’t have a flue like a gas water heater, there isn’t any wasted energy going up.
Don’t wait until your water heater has quit working. Use the information within this piece to know when your water heater is near its end-of-life. Whether you have a house full of kids or it is just a one person show, replacing your hot water with a high recovery water heater unit is an investment worth. For high recovery water heater installation in Chattanooga, TN, call 423-718-7342 today!
