June 06, 2022

How an Insulating Jacket to a Hot Water Tank Saves Money?

In recent years, Global warming has become one of the most concerning factors worldwide. We, humans, have destroyed the balance of nature. Energy conservation is one of the critical factors to save our environment. So, in this article, we are going to discuss how a water tank insulating jacket can help to save a lot of money by conserving energy. Additionally, this will also help to reduce the overall carbon footprint.

Just like insulating walls and roof, it is necessary to insulate the water tank. It is an affordable way to increase energy efficiency. Thus, the water tank insulating jacket will help you to cut your energy consumption bill every month. According to the department of energy, every water tank must have insulation with an R-value greater than 24. Moreover, they ensure that all old tanks receive attention as they are prone to more energy loss.

What is a Water Tank Insulating Jacket?

It is just what the name sounds like, clothing to cover your water tank. An insulating jacket wraps itself around the tank and ensures that it does not lose excess heat. It helps the tank to maintain a consistent temperature. These jackets are also available for tanks that are present on the open roof. For instance, these tanks come equipped with UV resistant technology to save the water from the harmful rays. They use a technology known as Flame Retardant Insulation Technology. These jackets protect the tank from any sort of physical damage or material degradation. Thus, an insulating jacket also helps to increase the average lifespan of the jacket.

Materials Used to Make Water Tank Insulating Jacket

Insulating Jackets consist of a variety of materials. Some of the materials that make an insulating jacket are foil, fiberglass, denim, etc. The exact quantity of materials will depend on the amount of insulation that the tank requires. Insulation is measured in R-value that stands for thermal resistance. The higher the R-value of the material, the better insulation it will provide. The R-value of the material is not only affected by the material of the jack, but also by the thickness and density of the material. So, if your tank is in an area that isn’t climate controlled like the roof or garage, you have to choose a material with a higher R-value.

How Does a Water Tank Insulating Jacket Work?

Before understanding a water tank insulating jacket, we must learn about a hot water tank. A hot water tank stores a fixed capacity of water that it heats up to a set temperature. So, whenever you open the tap, you will receive hot water. However, every time the tap opens, excess heat is lost along with the warm water. So, it becomes difficult to maintain the temperature of the reserve water. Thus, water insulation is the only way to solve this issue.

A water tank insulating jacket covers the exposed surface of the tank and doesn’t allow it to come in direct contact with the atmosphere. A typical jacket uses at least two layers of insulation. Additionally, many companies create a vacuum within the two layers to increase the efficiency of the insulation. In simple terms, an insulting jacket aims to cut all forms of heat transfer to ensure minimal heat loss. Moreover, some unique jackets also prevent heat gain so that the tanks can be used in the summer season to store cold water.

Also Read: How to Maintain, Protect and Clean Water Tanks in Different Seasons?

Impact of Water Tank Insulating jacket on the Loss of Heat in the Water Tank

According to a survey, the proper water tank insulating jacket helps to decrease water tank heat loss by 25%-45%. This heating energy is equivalent to 7%-16% of your energy bill. Thus, a water tank insulating jacket pays for itself over the years. At an average, a decent insulating jacket costs about $20, but the amount that it saves is exponentially more than the value of the jacket. So, it is impossible to deny the impact that an insulating jacket has over energy conservation. So, this insulating jacket acts as your money saver and environment energy saver as well.

Additional Advantages of Water Tank Insulating jacket

People are often mistaken that the only thing that an insulting jacket does is to control heat loss. But actually, they help in many more ways. Some of the benefits of the insulating jacket are:

• It protects the water tank from the effects of environmental temperature change. So, the water can retain its original temperature despite the outside environmental effects.
• A water tank insulating jacket ensures that no harmful microorganism, bacteria, or fungus grows near the tank. Thus, it saves the water tank from contamination.
• During the rainy season, the environment gets unusually moist. An insulating jacket doesn’t allow the excess moisture to affect the water inside the tank.
• Many buildings have their water tanks in open places. In such cases, an insulating jacket protects the tank from direct sunlight, rain, or harsh winds. Thus, it helps to increase the lifespan of the water tank.

Types of Water Tank Insulating Jacket

Naturally, all tanks won’t be of the same size, and they won’t serve the same purpose. There are various types of water tank insulating jacket, depending on the type and purpose of the water tank. The commonly used insulating jacket comprises of fiberglass with a coating of vinyl or a reflective aluminum barrier. Additionally, if you want to go for a more environment-friendly material, you can look for wraps that use recycled denim materials.

How to Install a Water Tank Insulating Jacket

In most cases, the insulating jacket comes with a kit and easy-to-follow instruction manual. However, there are certain parts of the insulation process where you have to be extra careful. For instance, if you are using an electric heater, take necessary precautions so that you don’t cover the heating element or the thermostat. Additionally, if you have a gas-powered water tank, ensure that the water heater drain valve, the temperature-pressure relief valve is not covered, and overflow or a drain tube.

Is a Water Tank Insulating Jacket Worth it

An insulating jacket is very affordable in the first place. At an average, it will cost you around $20, although some people still consider it to be quite high for a water tank cover. However, you must observe that an insulting jacket helps to reduce the monthly energy bill by 7% to 16%. Thus, it is crystal clear that the amount you save will be much higher than the actual cost of the jacket. So, it is evident that the question about the worth of an insulating jacket is baseless if we consider the impact it has on energy conservation.

Also Read: What are the Advantages of Opting for White-colored Water Tanks?

How to Determine if you Need a Water Tank Insulating Jacket

Many people are unsure whether they need an insulating jacket or not. This is an important question as all your investment might go in vain if you don’t gain anything from the entire process. You must consider the following factors before going for a water tank insulation process:

The Storage Location of the Water Tank

You must be sure that there is no source of temperature control near the tank. For example, if your tank is in a temperature-controlled room, there is no point in insulating it. Water tank insulation is only beneficial if there is no way to control the external temperature near your tank.

The Difference in Temperature Between the Tank and the Storage Area

The location of the building plays a vital role in this case. The region will determine how harsh the winters are in your area. Thus, you will get an idea about the temperature difference that you have to deal with. In case there isn’t much difference between the temperature of the water tank and the atmosphere then, there is no point in insulation.

At a glance, you must ensure that your tank suffers a lot of natural heat loss before you think about investing in water tank insulation.

Conclusive Views on the Benefits of Hot Water Tank Insulating Jacket

Presently, the natural balance is on the verge of destruction due to the actions of human beings. We have no other option but to take every possible step that might help to stabilize the situation at hand. Many governments have agreed that energy conservation is the most effective process to fight global warming. So, we must try to conserve energy at every stage to make a massive impact on the global carbon footprint globally. The use of renewable energy is also a great idea to help nature.

So, we can conclude that a water tank insulating jacket can help to decrease heat loss from all tanks at the domestic and industrial levels. This heat loss will help to reduce the energy consumption bill and also save the environment. Thus, a proper insulation process will benefit the owner and nature at the same time.