A commercial hot water heater is a big investment. To get the most out of this investment, it's important that you're purchasing the right heater for your particular needs. Water heaters for businesses are far different from residential, and there are more factors to consider when purchasing. Let's look at a few of the factors you should consider when choosing a size.

Usage Rate

Your maximum hot water usage rate, also called a dump load, is one of the most important considerations. The dump load is important because your business likely can't wait for more hot water to be generated. If hot water is a crucial aspect of your day-to-day business activity, you simply must have steady access to hot water. Businesses such as restaurants and medical facilities need hot water to operate and waiting isn't an option. Once you have determined the hot water usage rate, you should also consider how many hours a day you'd be using water at this rate.

Hourly Input

After the dump load is determined, you would then want to figure out the hourly input of BTUs for each system. This number tells you how many gallons of hot water could be realistically produced per hour. This number can vary based on the climate and temperature of the water your business needs. The hourly input data will determine how quickly hot water is replenished in the tank. Heating capacity is often measured in gallons per hour. A good balance is to have a heater that is working quickly enough to meet peak needs, while not overworking to the point that the system will burn out quickly. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, most tankless water heaters should have a life expectancy of more than 20 years.

To accurately determine the best size water heaters for businesses, you would combine these two numbers once they're calculated. You can consult with our hot water heater experts to get precise numbers for maximum daily water usage, the hours that you need this amount of usage, and the heating capacity of the prospective heater. You would then subtract the heating capacity from the maximum daily water usage. This number is then multiplied by the number of hours you need max usage. This final number will be an estimate of the hot water heater tank size your business would need.

If you're looking for hot water heaters for businesses, please contact us today. We're here for your hot water heater needs!