Hands-On-Green: HOT WATER HEATER BLANKET

Remember how your Mom used to say that you needed to put on a hat in the winter to keep warm?

Same runs true for your hot water heater except that it should keep its hat on all year long.  Putting a nice, thick blanket of insulation on your hot water heater reduces heat loss from your heater.  Spending money heating the water is one thing, spending money to heat the water and the air around the heater makes no sense.

No need to knit a cap either. All major hardware stores sell hot water heater insulation kits.  Here is an example: Look for one that is long enough to cover the top and most of the sides of your heater.  Often the tape that comes with the kit doesn’t stick well so, if you don’t already have some, pick up some duct tape to.  Use the duct tape to secure the blanket.  Use the kit tape to make it look pretty.

Steps:

1. Wrap the blanket around the heater with about 8” above the top
2. Tape across the seam with lines of tape at intervals from the top to the bottom. Note that the blanket will be very snug around the heater.
3. Tape the seam from the top of the heater to the bottom of the blanket.
4. Fold the extra blanket material at the top over the top of the hot water heater leaving any valves free to operate.
5. Tape in place.