On Apr 7, 12:24*pm, "Thomas G. Marshall"
. com wrote:
Ok, our 40 gal gas water heater is failing. *About 10 years old, which I
hear is ok.

But every time I talk to someone about their 40 gal water heater, they all
complain that they run out of hot water (comparable size homes and kids).

Bur our builder (and all builder's we spoke to when looking to build)
*insist* that 40 gallons is enough.

But we were always worried about running the wash or dishwasher before
showering, or two long showers would result in the 2nd losing water.
Complete with those water saving disks etc.

1. Is 80 gallons overkill? *Perhaps I'm reacting viscerally.

2. Am I going to notice a large gas usage increase?

3. Are there rules in place limiting the water tank sizes?

4. Are there any particular brands to look for or stay away from?

I'm sorry for the barrage of questions.

Do you have water reducing shower heads and faucet strainers, Your
tank may not have the recovery or as I realy suspect, a waste of hot
water as in long showers and hw faucets run without concern. I would
not recommend a tankless with a large family that is not truely trying
to be conservative on water as it will likely cost more to heat with
tankless, Kids will do the 20 min shower. A 40 with faster recovery, a
bigger tank, will all work, so might education and conservation.