AES Industries Water Heater Blanket Jacket Insulation Non Fiberglass Fits 40 50 60 and 80 Gallon Tank R8

We recently installed a new water heater which improved our hot water situation. However, we live in the southeast US and have an uninsulated crawl space that our water pipes are in. The pipes are insulated but the quality is dubious. We plan to encapsulate and install new pipe insulation but that’s not at the top of home projects atm. 😂The utility closet with the hot water heater is always warmer than anywhere else in the house. Not sweltering but noticeably toasty.I researched it and found that insulating the hot water heater is recommended for longevity and energy efficiency among other things.I saw other kits and insulation of this sort for sale on Amazon and the local home stores. I decided to pay a nominal amount more for this kit and I’m glad that I did.I appreciated the precut round top for the heater. I don’t know about you, but my ability to mark and then cut a perfect circle on bubbly insulation isn’t something I’m known for.Also, the kit seemed straightforward but I was impressed with reviews that mentioned the maker has his personal number on the directions to call if you have questions. I have never seen that on any product on Amazon or in a commercial store. Ever. I figured the maker had to be confident of the kit to do that.My water heater is ~57 gallons with an annual energy rating cost of $454/year.The circle top fit perfectly. The kit had more insulation for around the tank that I needed. Which I appreciated in case I royally screwed up. Ha!But, it was simple and no screw ups were involved in the installation.I installed the insulation around the tank first so I could adjust its height to the floor.I took some time before deciding to cut a long section near the bottom to accommodate the white pipe that’s on an upward angle into the wall. I took “close enough” measurements of the height of the pipe at the lowest part and the highest part and used a yard stick to cut a straight line between those points. I couldn’t easily reach those areas for an exact measurement but the product is forgiving and I didn't need to cut out a section with width. I just used the single cut to slide around the pipe.Once I got the insulation in place around the tank, I used a bit of the painters tape that the kit was wrapped in to temporarily hold it in place while I cut holes to accommodate the access points mentioned in the instructions. I wanted to be able to adjust the fit if needed. Which I did make some minor adjustments and the painters tape was perfect for that.I had more than enough of the foil tape in the kit. I have a decent amount leftover and I wasn’t shy about using it liberally.I did a long strip up the tank to connect the surrounding insulation. I used it to seal the long cut I made to accommodate the pipe (where the pipe wasn’t coming out.).I cut 2 inch vertical slits around the top of the surrounding insulation to make the taping to the top easier without wrinkles in it. I cut the foil tape to fit the area in between those slits as well.I cut the top circle part in half, used painters tape to hold the sides temporarily in place while I cut holes to accommodate the pipes on top.Then, I started folding down the foil tape I’d placed on the surrounding insulation part to the circular top piece. This really helped me keep good spacing between the insulation and the heater.I cut a 4 inch strip of the extra piece of insulation I had and used it to fill a gap between the top piece and the surrounding part.No fault of the kit, it was my lack of accuracy. But, the good news is, it worked just fine!The tape is forgiving, I was able to peel it up and replace it in the correct position if I’d gotten it off a straight line. Just don’t press it down super hard until you have it exactly where you want it.Since installing the kit we’ve found we get longer showers which is nice if we’re both up at the same time in the morning and take back to back showers. The last person isn’t rushing to make sure they don’t run out of hot water.The utility closet isn’t noticeably warmer than the rest of the house anymore.It’s a surprisingly simple product and easy kit to install with instant results.It’s not going to make an old, poorly maintained water heater work likes it new. But, it’ll definitely help you make the most of your decent water heater.***Highly recommend you follow the directions to drain your hot water heater annually!! The amount of sediment that settles in the bottom of your tank is surprisingly gross and reduces the efficiency and amount of hot water you get from your tank.We checked it out in the old tank that was removed and came with the house when we bought it. The sediment alone filled a 5 gallon paint bucket halfway up. Our city has been upgrading the municipal water pipes and we’d have water outages every few months as they did the work. When the water came back on it would initially come out red and dirty (we have red clay soil in the southeast US). That silt collects in your hot water heater. Gross.

Best and easiest water heater blanket I ever installed! Plenty of tape included and even a cutting knife. Zip, Zip, Zip and I was done - no muss, no fuss. Great directions and tips included for the install. Beats by light years the messy old ones with the insulation inside and it looks great. I'll be interested to see if the line item of my water heating amount on my electric bill decreases, as some of the reviews state. I would definitely buy this again. S'matter of fact, I'm buying another one just to have in reserve in case I can't find one in the future.

I ordered this insulation kit for our new water heater & was SUPER impressed with the product & the instructions. One of the employees (customer service VP, President, Owner, ???) provided his name & contact information on the documentation that came with the product, which got my attention as I've never seen that with another company. I texted him & let him that I was impressed & that I was leaving this review. (I don't leave many reviews...) The installation of the blanket went great & looks good. (My wife even complemented it!) There was plenty of insulation, tape, & even a knife to cut it with... 2 Thumbs WAY up!

Seems to be working great without messy and irritating fiberglass. Easy to install. Easy to cut around pipes etc. And tape seams. Might want a roll of cheaper tape to do top. Won't be enough with what is included.

This water heater blanket is amazing, we were given great directions and everything we needed was in the kit. We noticed a difference right away in our hot water. We have a dirt cellar and it's cold down there. Thank you for a great product. Susan S

Good product, easy to install and large enough to insulate entire 40 gal. heater.

Easy to use. Looks good and does the job/

High quality product. Easy to install and a great fit on my 50 gal water heater. Highly recommend!