When you wake up early in the morning and all you want is to hop into the shower to get yourself ready for the day, you might find yourself cold and not be able to function properly. You might not even have the strength to reach for a bottle of shampoo as the water streaming down your body feels like ice. While you could try to skip your morning showers, you could solve the root of the problem with the help of a new water heater.
A water heater provides hot to warm water for the entire household with various uses. Apart from using a water heater as you take a bath, you use it for cooking, cleaning, and heating. In order to maximize your water heater usage, you should follow advice provided by Bradford White water heater reviews and other resources and feedback online like this buying guide below:
1. Picking the Right Type
When it comes to choosing a water heater, there are two main types that you could choose for your household—you can either go for a standard tank water heater or a tankless water heater.
A standard tank water heater works by heating a large amount of water all at once in a tank. In this way, you can have reserved heated water right when you need it, and it’ll refill every time you empty it. A standard tank water heater functions in two different ways: electric or gas. Electric helps to promote better indoor quality, while gas-fueled heaters are more cost-efficient month-to-month.
With a tankless water heater, it only heats on-demand, allowing you to save on energy costs. Along with this, you don’t need to worry about extra tank storage space in your basement as this comes in a small, usually wall-mounted unit. The tankless water heater unit can be more expensive than a standard tank water heater, but it’ll help you save on money over time.
2. Identify Your Required Flow Rate
Before choosing the best-reviewed water heater you found online, make sure you’re sure about the size of the water heater you’re going to purchase.
You should first identify how much you’re going to need heated water in your household. The flow rates represent the amount of heated water it produces per minute. You should confirm how many people are in your home and how often everyone uses hot water—you should consider the usage of showers, dishwashers, sink, etc. In this way, you can identify the size of water tank that you need.
3. Confirm the Rise of Temperature
If there’s a high demand for hot water your household, you should confirm if the water heater can quickly heat the tank. When a water heater heats water swiftly, it’s ideal to have a large water tank so you can take full advantage of the fast-heating feature.
4. Existing Power Sources
If you’re leaning towards having a gas water heater for your household because you’re happy with the benefits that it would provide for your home, you should first identify if there’s an existing gas source in your home—if you don’t have a gas source, having a gas line installed can be costly.
Ideally, you should check your area about the available power sources to allow your water heater to run seamlessly without the need for installment in your home as that will only cost you more. If your area has frequent power outages, you should consider having a gas water tank as it’ll continue to run even without the presence of electricity—that way, you can guarantee that your place will have continuous use of heated water all day long.
5. Price Point
When purchasing a water heater, you should consider the unit cost, operational cost, and maintenance cost. You should find which one fits your budget and provides convenience for your household. However, if you purchase a cheaper and smaller water tank for your home even though you have a huge household, you might end up spending more when you decide to switch to bigger tank overtime. Make sure that you’re purchasing a water tank that you’ll benefit from in the long run, as it should last you for 15–20 years.
Conclusion
Purchasing a new water heater can be very tricky. You need to make sure that you purchase the best one that you can afford as it should last you for almost two decades, making it cost-efficient in the long run. Make sure that you choose a water heater that you’re comfortable with maintaining and operating in your home.
While you’re planning to get a new water heater for your bathroom, you might want to consider redecorating your bathroom for a completely new look and experience that you’ll surely enjoy.
