Will a standard unit cover two showers at a 55°F rise?
Yes. Two showers draw about 5 gallons per minute, which works out to about 137,500 BTU per hour at a 55°F rise. That sits inside the standard whole-house band, which goes up to 150,000.
Tankless Flow Calculator
A tankless heater makes hot water as you use it, so its size comes down to flow and temperature rise. Choose the showers and fixtures that run at the same time to see what a unit has to deliver.
Pick your place and we set the incoming water temperature from its winter weather.
What runs at the same time
A tank stores hot water. A tankless unit makes it as you go, so it is sized in gallons per minute, not gallons. Add up what realistically runs together. We use 2.5 gallons per minute for a showerhead, which is the federal limit, about 1.8 for a faucet and about 2 for a dishwasher or washer. Two showers at once already means 5.
How cold the water comes in
The unit has to heat incoming water to a 120°F setpoint. With an average January low of 44°F, San Jose falls in the warm band, so the calculator takes the water as arriving at 65°F and asks the unit for a 55°F rise.
How the size is worked out
The heat a unit has to deliver each hour is the flow in gallons per minute, times the rise in degrees, times 500. That figure comes from the weight of a gallon of water. We round it and place it in one of our own planning bands, based on that delivered heat. Up to 90,000 BTU per hour is a small unit. Up to 150,000 is a standard whole-house unit. Up to 190,000 is a large unit. Above that, two units are linked together.
A tankless unit trades flow for rise. The same unit gives more gallons per minute at a small rise than at a big one, which is why every tankless rating is stated at a rise.
Gas and electric limits
Gas units go up to about 199,000 BTU per hour of input, and two can be linked. Electric units top out near 36 kW, about 123,000 BTU per hour, and they need a very large electrical service. The result shows how many gallons per minute each one delivers at your rise. A plumber or an electrician checks the gas line, the electrical service and the venting before any unit is chosen.
Common questions
Does adding a faucet to two showers change the size?
Yes. A faucet adds about 1.8 gallons per minute and brings the total to 6.8. At a 55°F rise that is about 187,000 BTU per hour, which puts the result in the large unit band.
Is the rise the gap between incoming and outgoing water?
Yes. For San Jose the calculator treats incoming water as 65°F and heats it to a 120°F setpoint, so the unit adds 55°F. Tankless flow ratings are quoted at a stated rise.
Can one electric unit run two showers here?
Not quite. The largest electric units, near 36 kW, give about 4.5 gallons per minute at a 55°F rise, and two showers draw about 5. They also call for a very large electrical service, which an electrician confirms first.
Does a tankless water heater need a bigger gas line?
Often. A 199,000 BTU per hour unit draws several times what a tank heater does, and the existing gas line and venting may not be sized for it. A plumber checks both first.
Data: fixture flow rates from the federal showerhead limit and typical faucet and appliance flows, the 120°F setpoint recommended by the US Department of Energy, and incoming water bands set from Daymet winter data 2015 to 2024 for each place.
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