50-Gallon Water Heaters

Why 50 Gallons Is Utah's Most Common Choice

Walk into nearly any newer Utah home built in the last 25 years and you'll find a 50-gallon water heater in the garage or utility room. There's a reason it became the default: it covers a wide enough range of household sizes that builders could install one unit type across most of their projects without undersizing anyone. A family of three doesn't run it dry, and a family of five can usually get through a busy morning without anyone complaining.

For households of 3 to 5 people with pretty typical hot water habits, the 50-gallon is the right size. You're not paying for storage capacity you don't need, and you have enough buffer that back-to-back showers, a load of laundry, and a dishwasher run don't all have to be timed around each other.

When You Need Power Vent or Direct Vent at 50 Gallons

The Bradford White 50-gallon power vent routes exhaust through a single PVC pipe to an exterior wall — no chimney flue required. This is the right solution when you're replacing a gas unit but the original shared flue is no longer available, or when the installation requires horizontal venting. The power direct vent (dual-pipe) adds a dedicated air-intake pipe, completely sealing the burner from your home's indoor air supply. It's ideal for tightly constructed newer Utah homes with sealed building envelopes.

Gas vs Electric at 50 Gallons

At 50 gallons, the performance gap between gas and electric is more noticeable than at 40 gallons. The 50-gallon gas unit's first-hour delivery runs 80 to 90 gallons. The 50-gallon electric equivalent comes in around 60 to 65 gallons first-hour. Recovery time widens the gap further — a depleted 50-gallon gas tank is back in roughly 70 minutes, while the electric takes around two hours.

The 20-Inch Narrow Gas Option

A standard 50-gallon water heater has a diameter of about 22 inches. The 50-gallon gas narrow model at 20 inches wide handles spaces where a standard 50-gallon tank won't fit, without any sacrifice in performance. The burner, BTU rating, and first-hour delivery are the same. If you've ever had a plumber tell you they can't fit a 50-gallon in your space, it's worth asking about the narrow model before resigning yourself to a 40-gallon unit.