insulating hot water heater

[minnesota_native2000]

I'm going to insulate my hot water heater with an insulation blanket.

Would covering it with reflectix insulation then the blanket be more beneficial then just the blanket?

I'm also going to cover the heater door outside with 4 mil plastic. Maybe double or even triple it up, and tape it to the metal siding with heating duct foil tape.

Thanks for your help

[Greg]

From what I remember reading about insulating water heaters if it is a newer heater, extra insulation will help, but not to the extent that it did 15 years ago. The newer heater are insulated better. With that in mind, I would use the cheaper of the two since the pay back time may take a while.

As for the door, just make sure you can get it open in a hurry if you have to. Greg

[JD]

There is a reflectiix water heater cover, but it has a protective white side that goes against the water heater. Since I have not seen a commercially announced method of wrapping water heater with reflextix, I am thinking it may not be a good idea, at least not the common bubble wrap stuff. I think a regular fiberglass insulation water heater cover is a good thing. Read the manual for your water heater. Some units expressly say to not use a water heater cover/blanket. If you do not have the manual, they are usually available online free.

Since you have an outside water heater compartment, you should have air vents, usually louvered openings, at the top and bottom of the water heater door. You do not want to cover these or restrict incoming or outgoing airflow of any type. Most compartments have a screened area on the floor, but I believe they are still supposed to have vented doors by today's standards.

JD

[minnesota_native2000]

Thank you for the help. I'll just stick with the fiberglass blanket.

[WildIrish]

Just make sure it's an electric water heater if you're going to put insulation around it. Gas water heaters have a flame, which can pose a hazard if anything even remotely flammable touches it....

[oldfart]

Minn. allow me to pop in here and share some thoughts with ya. If your hot water heater is over 10yrs. old a thermal blanket may help conserve some heat. If it's newer than that...I don't think it actually helps much. It depends on many factors..if the incoming water is very cold...yes it might help. If the incoming water is coming from underground (more than 50ft...as in a well..) where the temps are stabilized at roughly 50 degrees everywhere..there's no benifit. Todays elec. hot water tanks are so well insulated a thermal blanket is more advertising hype than real. Just out of curiousity I placed a digital thermometer on the top of my A.O Smith 50gal elec. tank and compared the temp to the temp inside my home. The difference was only 2 degrees. The temp of the outside of the hot water tank was only 2 deg. warmer than the inside temp of my home..eh. In my case a thermal blanket would be a waste of time and money. Your case may differ of course but look at the return on investement. Always look on "new&improved" ideas with a careful eye. JMHO of course...Audie..the frugal Oldfart...

[minnesota_native2000]

Thanks Audie for your input. I'll probably be replacing it this spring some time.