Have you ever been the last person in your family to take a shower, only to be greeted by freezing cold water? Running short on hot water is a frustrating, everyday problem for many growing families. Most homeowners assume their only options are to buy a larger water heater or pay for a full tankless water heater conversion. While those are excellent solutions in some situations, a tank booster for your water heater may be the perfect alternative.
If your water heater is in good shape but simply cannot keep up with your household’s hot water demand, a water heater tank booster is an incredibly effective and affordable upgrade. Not only can it provide more usable hot water, but it can also help reduce the risk of harmful bacteria growth inside your tank. In this guide, we’ll explain how a tank booster for water heaters can help you get more hot water, improve safety, and save money.
What is a Tank Booster and How Does It Work?
A tank booster, often called a thermostatic mixing valve, is a brilliant piece of plumbing hardware that installs directly onto the hot water outlet of your existing water heater.
Here are the basics on how it works: Typically, a standard water heater is set to 120 degrees. When we install a tank booster, we intentionally turn the thermostat on your water heater up to 140 degrees. Because the water inside the tank is now much hotter, it holds significantly more thermal energy. As this super heated water leaves the tank to travel to your shower, the booster valve automatically mixes in a precise amount of cold water. This instantly brings the temperature back down to a safe, comfortable 120 degrees before it ever reaches your piping.
A Massive Increase in Performance
Because the water inside the tank is stored at a much higher temperature, your plumbing system actually draws less hot water from the tank to achieve the perfect shower temperature.
This process effectively increases the hot water capacity of your existing tank by up to 50 percent. For homes that constantly run short on hot water during the morning rush, a tank booster provides a huge increase in performance. It gives you the luxury of longer, back to back showers without the cold finish.
An Affordable Alternative to Major Modifications
Replacing an entire water heating system or converting to a tankless setup involves extensive plumbing and electrical work. While a tankless system is the ultimate solution for endless hot water, it requires a substantial upfront investment.
A tank booster is an affordable way to increase performance without the higher costs of major system modifications. Because it installs right onto your current water heater, it is a quick upgrade that completely transforms the output of your existing system for a fraction of the price of a replacement.
Protecting Your Family from Bacteria
Running your water heater at 140 degrees does more than just give you longer showers. It also provides a major health and safety benefit.
Warm water stored around 120 degrees can sometimes become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. By cranking the tank temperature up to 140 degrees, the extreme heat naturally kills off the bacteria that causes Legionnaires disease, as well as other dangerous germs and microbes. The tank booster gives you the best of both worlds: the tank gets hot enough to sterilize the water supply, while the mixing valve guarantees the water hitting your faucets is a safe, anti scald temperature.
Trust Your Local Water Heater Experts
Your home plumbing system is complex, and working with extremely hot water requires professional precision to ensure your family remains safe from scalding.
At NCWaterHeaters.com, we are your local water heater experts. We specialize in safe, code compliant plumbing upgrades that maximize the comfort of your home. We proudly serve homeowners across Fuquay Varina, Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, and the entire surrounding Triangle area.
If you are tired of running out of hot water and want to explore affordable solutions, contact NCWaterHeaters.com today to get your tank booster installed!