Replacing hot water heater

[westmorelands]

I have a 15-18 year old electric hot water heater that needs replacing. The best place locally for me to buy one is at Lowe's. The old hot water heater is 47-gallon. My Lowe's only has in stock a 37 or 38 gallon electric hot water heater. My hot water heater is located under the house in crawl space so it has to be a low-boy, which the one at Lowe's is. When I bought the old one, there were four people in the house, but my children are grown and there is now only me and my wife. The house has approx. 1800 sq. ft heated space, with two bathroom. My questions is, will the 37-38 gallon heater be adequate now for our needs, or do I need to look elsewhere or have Lowe's order me a 47-gallon heater???

[Mike Swearingen]

I would think that the 37-38 would be fine for you.
Mike

[TMB9862]

It depends what you want to do. I have a 50 gallon and I can empty it taking a nice long shower or bath.
I'd also call a plumbing supply and see what they offer as far as water heaters. Box store heaters are cheaper for a reason and it isn't bulk purchases.

[jadnashua]

You're lucky to get maybe 2/3-3/4 of the volume of the tank before the incoming cold water dilutes it so much, it's not pleasant any more. If you're really lucky, you might get 30-gallons out of the tank (and almost certainly less) at 2.5 gpm for a showerhead, that's 12-minutes. Probably not a lot, especially if someone goes right after the first one.

[hj]

I don't know what Lowes is selling, but 30, 40, and 50 gallons are the standard low boy capacities.

[plumbernj]

I have a 15-18 year old electric hot water heater that needs replacing. The best place locally for me to buy one is at Lowe's. The old hot water heater is 47-gallon. My Lowe's only has in stock a 37 or 38 gallon electric hot water heater. My hot water heater is located under the house in crawl space so it has to be a low-boy, which the one at Lowe's is. When I bought the old one, there were four people in the house, but my children are grown and there is now only me and my wife. The house has approx. 1800 sq. ft heated space, with two bathroom. My questions is, will the 37-38 gallon heater be adequate now for our needs, or do I need to look elsewhere or have Lowe's order me a 47-gallon heater???

You can order one from Lowes. It is called a 50 but really is 46.5 gallons.
Lowes numbers:

Item # 89263
Model # E2F50LD045V

Look on their web site for more info.