Hot water heater tank insulation bubble wrap covered in mylar or wool blankets work well as an additional layer if you re really cold and you ve tried all these things go visit the mast tent the.
Do water heater blankets work.
The best way to tell if your water heater would benefit from a hot water heater blanket is to touch your tank.
And you shouldn t need it if it is a new water heater.
If anything insulating should lengthen the life of the heater because it wouldn t have to work as hard maintaining the water at the set temperature.
If you feel like the energy bill that you get each month doesn t exactly show the sort of numbers you re comfortable with you might want to consider acquiring a water heater blanket.
It also helps your hot water heater to maintain a consistent temperature.
Insulation blankets are made up of a variety of materials from foil and fiberglass to denim depending on how much insulation your hot water heater needs.
Should i insulate my water heater.
A water heater blanket can also potentially keep your water heater running more efficiently.
If your water heater is located in unconditioned space a garage basement or attic or you don t want added heat install a heavy blanket r 11 or better.
Tuesday october 2 2018 to determine if adding an insulation blanket would improve the energy efficiency of your water heater touch it.
I do not reccomend insulation blankets on a water heater because if they are improperly installed they can be a fire hazard.
In fact if you look at the picture below that was on the epa s page you can see that it states if you have an older water heater.
The higher the r value the thicker the blanket and the more insulating horsepower.
It s a blanket that wraps around your hot water heater to keep it from losing heat.
In short the answer is easy no.
The warmth that you feel is an indication that heat is escaping.
Water heaters manufactured within the last decade or so have more insulation than older models so the shell will not feel noticeably warmer than its surroundings.
With the help of this smart and inexpensive investment you will be able to save about 7 16 in water heating costs.
They don t need additional insulation.
While adding a blanket will increase the surface area the savings by having the extra insulation will more than offset the loss the extra area will provide.