Deciding on a Water Heater for your Apartment or Condo

A water heater – that innocuous little thing, often hanging out in a closet, corner of your laundry room or back of your garage. This little thing that no one pays any mind to…until the day they do.

All too often your water heater grabs your attention in a dramatic way. When your water heater breaks, it can cause big problems for you as a homeowner, often resulting in a large amount of water damage and expensive repair bills.

The heartache caused by a broken water heater is only escalated when the water heater in question is one in an apartment or condo. Unlike in a home, in a condo, apartment or other multi-unit dwelling, damage to one heater often causes headaches for others. Whether it is a shared water heater with multiple units now out of hot water, or the leaking water damaging neighboring units, a water heater in one unit going bad can have a cascading affect.

If you’re in the market for a new water heater for your apartment or condo, here are a few things to consider to make sure you make the right decision for your home and your wallet.

No More Luke Warm Showers-First Hour Rating (FHR)

The FHR, or first hour rating, is just what it sounds like: The amount of water demand a water heater can keep up with. Water heaters, unlike air conditioners, are typically cycled, with usage increasing for bursts of time, and then going through dormant periods. Ideally, you want a heater that will keep up with your demand, without taking up too much space. Too big means you are paying to keep water warm when it will not be used. That’s not very good for your wallet, or your neighbors, in the event of a leak.

To calculate your needed FHR, take into account the maximum number of people in your home—a rule of thumb is number of bedrooms plus one—and multiplying by 12 gallons. So, if you have a two bedroom apartment, your water heater needs to be 36 (2 bedrooms plus one equals three, three times 12 is 36.) This is a good way to determine that everyone gets to take a hot shower in the morning, without excess H2O sitting the tank.

Going Green

Americans are increasingly concerned with protecting the environment and going green, which extends to the efficiency of your water heater. The energy factor, or EF, is the rating of your water heater’s efficiency. These are set by the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act. The higher the number, the more efficient your heater.

You will want to find the highest EF while maintaining your FHR to ensure you are getting the longest hot shower for the lowest price.

Maximize Your Space-Going Tank-less

Nowadays, many people with relatively smaller spaces, like those of us in apartments, tiny homes, or condos, are choosing tankless water heaters. These can be slightly more expensive on the install, but the money you save in electric/natural gas costs will more than make up for this in the long run.

The beauty of a tankless heater is that it only heats up the water you need, thereby eliminating the energy costs of holding gallons and gallons of water warm when no one will be using it. In addition to these cost savings you are also saving in that a tankless heater has almost twice the lifespan of a conventional heater—almost 20 years on most models.

The Bottom Line

Whatever your water heater needs, you can find a model that fits your home and your budget. When getting ready to install a new water heater, make sure you prioritize efficiency and reliability to save on big headaches for you and your apartment neighbors.