Most households consume 20 gallons of water per day. You wash dishes. You do one more load of laundry. You take good care of your family. All that cleaning adds up. It requires a lot of energy. Water heating accounts for up to 15% of energy bills. More if you have teenagers. Home improvement specialists suggest replacing your water heater. That can help improve energy efficiency. Yes, but water heaters are expensive, especially wall-mounted tankless water heaters. How can you save money on water heating in the meantime? Frost King has five do-it-yourself tips to help your water heater provide hot water for a few more seasons. Grab your gloves. If you install insulation, you may want to wear old clothes and a protective N95 mask. You can do each of these steps over time, perhaps taking on one task per weekend.
1. Adjust the Temperature Control of Your Water Heater Tank First, let's increase the life of your hot water tank. Adjust the temperature control. You find the dial on the outside of most tanks. You may need a screwdriver to remove a side panel to locate the dial. Home improvement specialists tend to turn it up to prevent annoying "faulty water heater" calls. A hotter setting doesn't make your water heater more efficient. It takes more cold water to bring temps back down. So let's adjust it to 120 degrees F. That's an ideal setting. If your temperature control isn't numbered, set it and test it until you find the ideal setting.
2. Insulate Hot and Cold Water Pipes throughout Your Home Second, let's insulate water pipes. After you finish a shower or brushing your teeth, hot water remains in the pipes. Not for long, though. Hot water cools, especially when the hot water pipe is right next to the cold water pipe. That's why you need to insulate all water pipes throughout your home. This is a DIY project may take some time to complete. Do it when you can. Start at the hot and cold water pipes closest to the water tank. Cover joints with elbow or T-shaped pipe insulation. Tape any gaps so you have one continuous sleeve. No gaps. That's our aim. Many DIYers use fibreglass insulation on bigger pipes and foam insulation on smaller pipes. Need more advice on pipe insulation? Watch our video, read our blog post or ask a question.
3. Insulate Your Water Heater Tank with an Insulation Jacket Next, let's insulate your hot water tank. If your tank feels warm, there is heat loss. Stop this by wrapping your tank in Frost King's Water Heater Insulation Jacket. You need a mask, gloves and old clothes to handle fibreglass. Wrap it up, Use adhesive to cover gaps. If you have an electric water tank, put insulation at the top. If you have an oil or gas water tank, keep insulation away from combustion gases. That means no insulation at the top. Use Frost King's Electric Water Heater Top Insulation Blanket to prevent heat loss at the top of your hot water tank.
4. Make Sure You Know When Water Heater Leaks Happen Now, let's make sure you know when your hot water tank leaks. They sometimes do. Leaks increase your water bill and your energy bill. You can install a flood ring. Use caulk to seal it to the floor. Then place either a shutoff valve and/or an alarm that signals you to fix the problem.
5. Consider Eco-friendly Upgrades throughout Your Home Finally, let's ensure your entire home conserves hot and cold water well. Consider eco-friendly upgrades, such as showerheads, timers and low-flow appliances. Reducing water flow on a single sink can conserve as much as 500 gallons of water per year. That's a lot of water. Not only does this conserve water, it ensures your tank doesn't have to work so hard. Until you replace your existing water heater, Frost King wants to help you improve water heating efficiency, cut your energy bill and conserve water. If you have questions about installing our pipe and hot water tank insulation products, please view our FAQs, call 1-800-299-5700 or send us a message.
