Top 5 Best 40-Gallon Indirect Water Heaters (December 2024)🥇
Last Updated: 16 December 2024
In this article, we’re going to be talking about the best 40-gallon indirect water heaters that are available on the market.
✅What is an indirect water heater?
An indirect-fired water heater is essentially a water storage tank that is heated through the boiler. Because of this, it relies on your home’s boiler to be high in temperature, so that it heats up the water within the indirect water heater.
Here’s a diagram to illustrate how this actually works.
These kinds of water heaters, or indirect water storage tanks are best used for larger homes, where the boiler is constantly being used, hence it will be consistently heating the water within the storage tanks.
🚰Why use a 40-Gallon capacity indirect water heater?
Water heaters account for approximately 25% of your home’s energy consumption. Therefore, this makes them a very important piece of equipment for your home.
As we touched on before, you’ll want to use an indirect unit if you have a larger home, and your boiler is turned on regularly, hence the water in the storage units will be heated and ready to use.
Larger tanks will be able to accommodate for more appliances that use hot water, like multiple showers, washing machines, and dishwashers.
💧Top Considerations Before Purchasing
- Technical Specs – We’ve done our very best to outline each heater’s technical specs, including BTU, FHR (First Hour Rate), and Recovery Rate, so you have all of this information available when making any comparisons between models.
- General Specs – We’ve also included information regarding the units physical dimensions and weight
- Price – Price information has also been specified, with $ representing the lowest price and $$$$$ representing the highest. We realize that everyone has a unique budget, so this is an important consideration
- Warranty – We’ve displayed warranty information where possible.
- Customer Reviews/Ratings – We’ve gone about researching only the highest quality 40 gallon indirect water storage tank to include within this article, therefore you can be confident in knowing that any of these units are a great choice.
We’ve listed the following 40-gallon indirect water heaters in order of cost, from the lowest price at the top ($) to the largest price ($$$$$) at the bottom:
Best 40 Gallon Indirect Water Heaters – Top 5
Heat-Flo HF-40 Stainless Steel Indirect Water Heater Tank – 40 Gallon – $$
Technical Specs
- BTU: 117,870/Hr
- First Hour Delivery: 193 gallons
- Continuous Recovery Rate (115° F): 218GPH
General Specs
- Price: $$
- Dimensions: 36H x 23.5W x 23.5D inches
- Weight: 100 lbs
- Warranty: Limited warranty residential installation, 5-year commercial
Features
Heat-Flo’s high-efficiency indirect water heaters are made with quality stainless steel materials that provide excellent heat transfer and a longer tank life, as well as an abundant amount of hot water and low operating costs.
Indirect water heaters work in conjunction with a boiler to heat the water that’s circulated through the heat exchanger in the tank. When paired with a high-efficiency boiler, Heat-Flo’s indirect water heaters can generate over 50% more hot water than many water heaters of similar size.
The tank and coils are stainless steel which helps against limescale build-up.
With over 2″ of insulation, the Heat-Flo Indirect Water Heater provides less than 1° of heat loss.
Additionally, it features a flexible thermoplastic jacket to protect the unit from corrosion or denting.
Pros
- Reputable Brand
- Affordable price
- Large FHD and RR
- Energy-efficient design
- Not too large or heavy
Cons
- Warranty document could be clearer
Squire SIT040 Indirect Water Heater – 40 Gallon – $$$
Technical Specs
- BTU: 115,000/Hr
- First Hour Delivery: 208 gallons
- Continuous Recovery Rate (180°F): 181GPH
General Specs
- Price: $$$
- Dimensions: 55.75H x 20W x 20D inches
- Weight: 105 lbs
- Warranty: 5-year limited warranty on tank, 1-year parts
Features
The Squire SIT040 features important enhancements on the original model, that people familiar with the brand will recognize and benefit from, such as a welded and passivated stainless steel tank and heat exchanger, two-inch thick, high-density insulating foam, and best of all it is designed, engineered and assembled in America.
The heater is constructed with stainless steel materials that are highly resistant to corrosion that can result from poor water quality.
Each tank is subjected to a soaking spray of nitric acid. This treatment washes away any iron that was left behind during the welding process and re-establishes the oxide level of the stainless steel to ensure corrosion resistance.
The efficiency of the heating boiler could be as much as 20% higher than a direct-fired tank-type water heater.
By using the Squire to indirectly heat the domestic water, you eliminate the additional gas line, electrical connections, and vent ducts needed with direct-fired tank-type water heaters.
Pros
- Reputable Brand
- Mid-price
- Large FHD and RR
- Corrosion-resistant materials
- 5-year tank warranty/1-year parts
Cons
- Quite large in size, especially in height
BIC IBC40 Indirect Water Heater – 40 Gallon – $$$$
Lifetime Residential Warranty
Technical Specs
- BTU: 117,870/Hr
- First Hour Delivery: 254 gallons
- Continuous Recovery Rate (115°F): 218GPH
General Specs
- Price: $$$$
- Dimensions: 44H x 23.5W x 23.5D inches
- Weight: 100 lbs
- Warranty: Lifetime residential warranty (5-year commercial warranty)
Features
Manufactured by none other than the highly reputable supplier BIC, the IBC40 is their 40-gallon capacity indirect water storage heater.
It has a maximum first-hour rating of 193 gallons per hour at 140F, and this amounts to 157 gallons per hour of continuous recovery rate.
It’s efficiently insulated with 2+ inches of insulation to help prevent heat loss.
Additionally, the water storage heater has a temperature sensor to manage the heating functionality.
The water heater is made from durable, high-grade 316L stainless steel, and has a thermoplastic jacket to help prevent metal corrosion or denting.
This particular model is great for medium-sized homes, and complies with US energy standards.
- Incredibly reputable brand
- Large FHD and RR
- Corrosion-resistant materials
- LIFETIME residential warranty
Cons
- More of a premium-price
AB Indirect Hot Water Heater – 50 Gallon – $
Technical Specs
- BTU: 117,870/Hr
- First Hour Delivery: 254 gallons
- Continuous Recovery Rate: 21 gallons per hour
General Specs
- Price: $
- Dimensions: 58H x 23W x 23D inches
- Weight: 210 lbs
- Warranty: Three year warranty*
Features
This Indirect Hot Water Heater by AB can be used for storing and heating domestic water.
Coil models have solar- or boiler-heated water pass through the coils to make the water in the tank hot.
The enamel steel inner tank helps prevent corrosion and buildup from hard water. Compared to stainless steel, enamel can withstand higher temperatures for longer and it’s a better material for potable water applications. It also isn’t susceptible to oxygen in the system, unlike stainless steel. 1 coil is recommended for closed-loop solar/boiler thermal applications that have freezing or hard water conditions.
It comes with CFC-free polyurethane foam insulation, which surrounds the inner tank, filling the space between the inner and outer tank. This provides a great heat retention barrier and reduces the energy cost by minimizing standby heat loss.
Additionally, it’s low-density Incoloy 800 immersion type element ensures long-lasting performance with kW heat input, offering different hot water recovery rates. A magnesium anode rod is included to protect it against corrosion, a process well-proven in years of application.
Finally, this model has a pressure and temperature relief valve. It protects the water heater against excessive pressure and temperature by releasing its contents safely to the floor trap via the drain pipe.
- Very affordable
- Corrosion-resistant materials
- 3-year warranty
Cons
- Not a well-known brand or model
- Not previous reviews/customer ratings
- No website for us to check for more information
BIC IBC50 Indirect Water Heater – 50 Gallon – $$$$$
Lifetime Residential Warranty
Technical Specs
- BTU: 117,870/Hr
- First Hour Delivery: 254 gallons
- Continuous Recovery Rate (115°F): 218GPH
General Specs
- Price: $$$$$
- Dimensions: 54H x 23.5W x 23.5D inches
- Weight: 110 lbs
- Warranty: Lifetime residential warranty (5-year commercial warranty)
Features
Manufactured by none other than the highly reputable supplier BIC, the IBC50 is their 50-gallon capacity indirect water storage heater.
It has a maximum first-hour rating of 196 gallons per hour at 140F, and this amounts to 151 gallons per hour of continuous recovery rate.
It’s efficiently insulated with 2+ inches of insulation to help prevent heat loss.
Additionally, the water storage heater has a temperature sensor to manage heating functionality.
The water heater is made from durable, high-grade 316L stainless steel, and has a thermoplastic jacket to help prevent metal corrosion or denting.
This particular model is great for medium/large-sized homes, and complies with US energy standards.
- Incredibly reputable brand
- Large FHD and RR
- Corrosion-resistant materials
- LIFETIME residential warranty
Cons
- More of a premium-price
It’s important to highlight that we realize everyone has different needs and requirements for a 40 gallon indirect hot water heater, alongside an entirely different budget. Therefore we try not to make solid recommendations, as we don’t know your unique requirements.
However, based on features, reviews, and price, we personally like the BIC IBC40 Indirect Water Heater – 40 Gallon, it comes with a lifetime residential warranty (5-year commercial warranty) and has impressive technical specs.
FAQ
🚰40-gallon indirect water heater cost
These units vary in price, ranging from around $1000 to $2200.
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, we have listed the water heaters in order of cost, from the lowest price at the top ($) to the largest price ($$$$$) at the bottom.
