Almost everyone has heard about the term recovery rate while purchasing a new unit for your home. People, who know about the recovery time, understand how important it is to consider as a primary factor for choosing a water heater. If this term does not sound familiar to you, this is the exact guide you would love to go through. You can simply follow this guide below to know about An A-Z Guide to Your Water Heater Recovery Time. Hopefully understanding the entire concept will help you to know more and to decide what to do next.
What is Water Recovery Time?
The recovery time for any water heater refers to the amount of hot water that it can produce. It is a specific calculation that includes the rate of hot water produced by the heater in one hour. However, to calculate this, the water heater must be drained completely. Although it is measured in gallons, the recovery rate is there to give you an idea about the productivity rate of the heater.
Knowing your water heater recovery rate is always important and there are two major reasons why everyone must know it. If you know the recovery rate, you will be able to calculate if the heater is sufficient for your family. Calculating the recovery rate will help you to know the peak hour requirements. Moreover, you can also provide the information if you need any repair of parts.
How to Know the Recovery Rate?
If you know the model or the serial number, knowing the recovery rate will not be a difficult task for you. The best way to know it would be to go to the manufacturer’s websites. You can easily search for the model number to find more information on the recovery time. However, most of the manufacturers do list out the recovery rate around 90-degree Fahrenheit which is the standard benchmark set by them.
However, the recovery might be different for your home, if you have an average temperature. The water recovery time may be different for every home appliance present. There may be multiple changes to the recovery rate and it may also be different for the shower as well as the dishwasher. However, you can still expect a rough calculation which will help you to know about the recovery rate.
Choosing the Correct Recovery Rate
Choosing the correct recovery rate for your heater is one of the most important aspects to consider. It is important to know about which model to pick and why it is the best suited. Without having a proper recovery rate, the water provided at the peak hour demands will always be lower.
The requirements are simple… with higher demands and more members of the family, you will always need a better recovery rate. When you have a family of 56 people you are likely to use multiple hot water faucets at the same time. This is the reason why you need a heater that will have a higher level of recovery which would be quite similar to the water heater size.
In such a case, if the water heater has a higher capacity of 60 gallons, the requirements would be around 60. According to Maria from Tankless Water Heater Express Rheem Water Heaters can solve this purpose for you.
For Existing Water Heaters
Recovery time is important for any existing water heater. By knowing the recovery rate, you will be able to know how much time it will take to come up with the temperature. To get to know this, you must ensure an emptied tank for the heater. You can do this easily by simply taking the help of the household appliances by running the shower or a dishwasher or even by cleaning the clothes.
Once it is empty, you can now start to calculate the recovery time by filling it. If the time taken by the heater is too much, it is mainly because you are running the shower to hot water. This would be the best time to upgrade to a new heater that has a larger size. If not, you need to get your product repaired by a professional. You can expect to do the same if the water heater is taking more time to heat. Having a better recovery time will benefit you a lot for multiple reasons.
How Long Does It Take a Water Heater to Recover?
The time for the water heater to recover depends on a lot of factors. This is mainly because the default tests are done on specific temperatures and specific models. So this may change when you try to use them for your home. However, below are some of the key factors that you need to consider:
- Fuel Type
- Temperature Rise
- First Hour Rating
- Water Heater Size
However, to help you out with a situation, you can get a rough estimation of the time taken for the hot water recovery.
Any 80-gallon gas-based heater would take around 60 minutes to complete heat up. At the same time, when it comes to the electric heater, the recovery time would just be double keeping in mind the default temperature and the delivery rate is the same.
Factors Affecting the Hot Water Recovery Time
Water heater size
The water heater size plays up a big role in deciding the time it should take. Most of the traditional water heaters are matched up according to the amount of water they can heat. If you have a larger size of the heater, it will take up more time. An average home with more family members would have around 60 gallons of the tank. Here, the time consumption for heating the entire unit will be more.
First-hour rating (FHR):
First Hour rating means the amount of hot water the heater can provide in the first hour itself. It is specially dedicated to a calculation which involves the amount of water to be heated and the time it should take. If you have a better first-hour rating, you will get the job done in a small amount of time. This is the reason why having a good first-hour rating is always beneficial.
Fuel type and how it affects recovery time:
The next key factor to look upon is the fuel type of the product. The recovery time for any water heater is different for the natural gas models and also the electric water heaters. Most people do believe that electric water heaters could be a safe purchase, but it takes almost double the recovery time than the other types of models available. The gas water heaters the fastest heating options and this is why they have a higher recovery time as well.
Temperature rise:
Another important aspect of affecting recovery time is the temperature rise. With a higher temperature rise, you will be getting a longer recovery time. Now, the term temperature rise simply refers to the difference between the temperature of the inclining water and what you want it to reach. Having a higher groundwater temperature will land you with faster recovery time. This is because the heater does not have to put in much effort to raise the temperature.
The Problem–Your Hot Water Heater is Taking a Longer Recovery Time
There may be several reasons why you are facing such issues. However, the most common cause of this is because of the sediment buildup for your home. When the sediments start to settle in, they create a thick layer of calcium and magnesium on the surface. This will also create a layer of rust and will block the flow of water. As a result of this, the heating element will not be able to work any further and prevent it from hard water. Another possible cause for this is because of the hard water presence.
What to do:
The only possible solution that you can figure out is to call for a professional. If there is sediment formation, it requires a deep clean. They may take the help of advanced tools to completely flush out the sediments that are present.
Abnormal Long Recovery Time
Abnormal recovery times can be a big issue and this can happen if the heater is too small for your work. It will not be able to draw the amount of hot water needed. This is the reason why it may not be able to completely recover. Another possible cause for this is that the installation is not done perfectly.
What to do:
If you are facing such a situation, it may mean that you are about to face a bigger problem. The only solution is to apply an external device or to look for a product that has better productivity.
The Bottom Line: Hot Water Heater Recovery Time Varies or May Indicate a Looming Concern
If you have a high recovery rate with the water heater, it is surely going to provide you with faster heating. A higher recovery rate means less time to fill up the entire tank with warm water. If you are facing any problems with the recovery time, you can also look at the guide mentioned above. You can also perform the diagnosis with a preferable time. Better yet, call in a professional plumber so you have peace of mind of a job well done!
She has a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English and a Spanish Minor. In addition, she holds a Certificates in Natural Health and Herbology from accredited programs. She pursued these natural wellness certifications due to her love for herb gardening.
Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."
Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.
Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
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