How long for 40 gal water heater to recover?

by May
(Australia)

Is the 40 gallon water heater using a natural gas enough for my family of four? Is recovery rate more important than the first hour rating?

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Jun 09, 2010
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by: Zee from water heater reviews

Keep in mind when selecting a water heater that tank capacity of 40 gallons doesn't mean that you have 40 gallons of hot water available.

Either you have a gas or electric water heater, the draw efficiency of the storage tank is considered to be 70%. That means 70% X 40 gallons is 28 gallons. That is the hot water draw... which means the water heater will supply two bath home or one bath and one dishwasher.

Recommendation is to select water heater based on the hot water usage combined with the heat input. It is important to have enough storage for hot water especially when large quantities of water are required in a short period of time.

Recovery rate is the major criteria in selecting a water heater if the peak usage period is needed for period of time two and up hours.

Hot water needed for shower is close to 20 gallons per use, dishwasher needs 12 gallons, hand washing 4 gallons... When selecting a water heater, choose one with a first-hour rating close to the total amount of hot water you use during the hour you selected.

The first-hour rating is what you will see often and it includes the recovery rate, it represents a combination of how much water is stored in the water heater and how quickly the water heater can heat cold water to the set temperature.

A small water heater designed with the high recovery rate could out-perform a large water heater which has a slow recovery rate.

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