Hot showers are a commodity of life many of us cannot go without. We install water heaters in our homes to ensure that our taps will flow with hot water whenever necessary. Yet, water heaters are a large contributor to carbon footprint and get in the way of saving energy at home.
This is where water heater blankets come in. The blankets wrap around the water heater, keeping water inside warmer for longer and thus, reducing the energy spent by the heater. A water heater blanket not only helps you live a more environment-friendly lifestyle but also saves money. For people with older water heaters, using a blanket can extend the life of the heater.
When buying a water heater blanket, it is important to take into consideration the material it is made of and what sort of water heater the blanket can be used for. Our list will help make it easier for you to choose the best water heater blanket for your home and hopefully, make your mornings and nights easier.
Best Pick
The Duck Brand 280464 Water Heater Insulation Blanket is our best pick for a water heater blanket. It is made of recycled cotton and so is a choice that gives you excellent insulation without compromising your health.
Budget Pick
For our budget pick, we suggest the Frost King SP57/11C Water Heater Blanket. The thickest blanket on our list, its fiberglass insulation is sure to keep your energy costs down and your water as warm as you can want.
Quick Comparison Between The Best Water Heater Blankets
1. Duck Brand 280464 Water Heater Insulation Blanket
This insulating water heater blanket is made of recycled cotton. While fiberglass is a better insulator, cotton is much healthier and eco-friendly to use at home, making this blanket a great choice for those trying to be more environmentally conscientious. The insulating property of the water heater blanket ensures that heat is trapped inside the water heater, and the water remains hot for longer, saving energy.
The blanket will likely fit any water heater you have in your home and can be used for water heaters running on electricity, oil, or gas with a volume of fewer than 60 gallons.
The blanket is 75 inches long and 1.8 inches thick, with a manageable weight of just 4.65 pounds. It is easy to install and comes with aluminum tape to make the task hassle-free and simple. The blanket is flame retardant and has a class A fire rating, making it a safe choice for a water heater blanket.
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2. Frost King SP57/11C Water Heater Blanket
The Frost King water heater blanket is a large blanket that will fit most water heaters that have a volume of 60 gallons or less. It is 3.5-inch-thick and 75 inches tall.
The insulating material used inside is fiberglass. The thick layer of fiberglass makes this water heater blanket excellent at insulating the heater. Both sides of the blanket are covered in vinyl. The shiny vinyl reflects heat and further prevents heat from escaping the water heater, keeping the water inside hotter. The blanket has a light reflective value of 10.
The blanket can be safely installed on gas, electric and oil water heaters safely. The blanket comes with foil tape to make it easy for you to fix around the water heater.PROS
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3. ESP Low-E® SSR "Non Fiberglass" Up to 80 Gallon Water Heater Insulation Kit
The largest water heater blanket on our list, this insulation kit can be installed on water heaters with a volume of 80 gallons or less. This makes it a great choice for those who have large water heaters and find that other blankets do not completely wrap around the heater.
Both sides of this water heater blanket are covered by foil. The material of the blanket does not contain fiberglass making it a healthy choice for your home. It will not irritate your skin or respiratory tract and is non-allergenic. The durable material is also resistant to mold and will not degrade in humid conditions. It has been rigorously tested to ensure that it is safe to use near hot objects. It passes the California Water Heater Insulation Fire Test and has a class A fire rating.
The kit comes with everything you need to make installation easy. The foam spacers and foil-tape make it easy to set up and fix the blanket around the water heater. The blanket itself is lightweight and only a quarter of an inch thick, making it easy to handle.Easy to install and having no adverse effects on your health, this insulation kit is one of the best water heater blankets on this list.
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4. M-D Building Products 4663 R-6.7 Water Heater Insulation Blanket
Made of fiberglass, this water heater blanket is wonderful at keeping water inside heaters hotter. The inner surface is vinyl backed and the vinyl reflects heat back into the water heater, minimizing heat loss. Keeping your water heater tank insulated is a great way to reduce your energy cost and consumption. This water heater blanket can be used water heaters with a volume of up to 60 gallons.
While many insulation blankets can be used on one type of water heater, this blanket can safely and easily be used on gas, electric and oil powered water heaters. Installing the blanket is an easy process. The blanket comes with tape to make the task simple. We recommend you have a measuring tape, a pencil, and scissors on hand, in case the blanket is too large for the tank.
The insulating material is fiberglass, which is one of the best heat insulators available. The insulating value of the blanket is R-6.7. The blanket is thin and lightweight, at only 8.8 pounds. If you’re looking for a blanket that will insulate your water heater without being bulky and hard to move, the M-D Water Heater Insulation Blanket is a great choice!PROS
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5. Thermwell Products SP57-5 Water Heater Blanket
One of the lighter water heater blankets on this list, this blanket is also made of fiberglass. The fiberglass traps heat, preventing the heated water inside the tank from getting cool too soon. It is backed with a vinyl coating, which is shiny and reflects heat back into the tank. Together, they work to ensure that the water heater tank is properly insulated and you are saving energy. Using this insulation blanket reduces the feet recovery time of your water heater tank.
The blanket is 1.5 inches thick and is 75 inches long. It is adequately made to completely cover a 60-gallon watertank. If your water heater is smaller, you can simply cut the blanket accordingly. Plastic tape is provided so you have a non-flammable tape to secure the blanket to your water tank without needing to go buy your own. This blanket, like the others on our list, can be used with all three types of water heater: electric, gas and oil.
It is easy to install and carry around, and the thickness of the blanket works to insulate the tank even more. Overall, this is a splendid choice for a water heater blanket.PROS
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Things To Keep In Mind When Buying The Best Water Heater Blanket
The main things to keep in mind when buying a water heater blanket are:
Material
The most common materials used to make insulating blankets are fiberglass or cotton. A material is a good insulator when it has a high thermal resistance, or R, value.
Fiberglass is a mixture of glass and plastic formed into wool-like strands and packed together. A lot of air gets trapped inside in the packing process, which makes sheets of fiberglass very good insulators of heat. It has a thermal conductivity of only 0.04 W/mK and a very high R-value.
Insulating blankets made of fiberglass are not expensive and fiberglass is widely available. However, fiberglass blankets can have adverse effects on health. Fiberglass irritates the skin and causes respiratory tract problems if breathed in. Blankets made of fiberglass often release small particles of fiberglass during installation and over time, as the blanket wears down. It is not recommended that you use fiberglass blankets for water heaters that are kept inside the house. Mold can also grow on fiberglass as humidity is trapped inside. When working with blankets made of fiberglass, safety precautions must be taken.
Cotton is an inferior insulator to fiberglass but is much safer to use. It is not irritating and it is also environmentally friendly.
A thick layer of insulating material will be better at insulating than a thin layer.
Size
The blanket you choose should wrap around the water heater tank completely. If the blanket is too small and parts of the tank are left uncovered, heat will escape through those parts and the tank will not be properly insulated.
Conclusion
The water heater blanket you choose should ultimately cut down on your energy consumption, save money and still provide you with the hot water you need. With so many choices, we hope you choose the most effective blanket for your home and that our list has helped you do so!