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Water heaters typically account for about twenty percent of your home’s energy use. That number is negotiable, though, by selecting the right type of water heater, reducing heat loss from the heater and hot water piping, and performing water heater repairs and maintenance that enhance its optimum performance. At Covenant Plumbing in Bloomington, IL, our water heater installation and repair team keeps energy usage in mind as we perform our related services and provide information to our customers.
Whether you have a standard tank-based water heater that’s using electricity or a gas burner to keep the water hot, a hybrid tank-based water heater that pulls heat from the surrounding air with an electric element for backup, or a gas or electric tankless water heater, our water heater repair and maintenance team has the skills to fine-tune your system, and the ideas to make it more effective and efficient from pipe insulation to installing remote tank-based units for your kitchen or master bathroom to avoid the need for long waits as hot water ascends through your pipes from the basement.
Maintenance Keeps a Water Heater Repair Expert Coming to Check Your System Regularly
While it’s important for you to watch for signs of issues with your water heater such as discolored water or an unusual odor, and of course to call us if your hot water quantity or temperature aren’t what they should be, annual maintenance and inspection catches even more issues. Depending on the type of water heater, we may notice problems with the tank or the anode rod that slows corrosion in the tank, and by addressing those add more time to your tank-based water heater’s service life. We may catch a buildup of sediment in your tankless water heater that can cause it to fail, or notice error codes that require attention.
Our water heater repair team also makes sure that your electric heater or gas burner is running as it should, and that your thermostat is adjusted to the optimum temperature, which is usually the EPA-recommended 120F. That’s the point where your water is hot enough to kill germs when you’re washing up, and cool enough to avoid scalding, especially important for young children and seniors who may not feel the heat when they use hot water. If your electric heating system is vibrating, we can tighten a loose element. When your gas burner is burning inefficiently, or not starting reliably from the igniter or pilot light, our water heater repair pros can take care of that too, and make sure your system is tight and efficient.
Insulation Keeps the Heat In So You Get What You Paid For
If your water heater is heating your entire basement, there are better ways to do that. In fact, hybrid water heaters are designed to pull heat from the nearby air in most cases, using heat pump technology that works a compressor-based system to do the job. If the tank and pipes aren’t insulated, you’re wearing out the heat pump and paying for electricity just to keep looping heat out into the room and back into the water in the tank. For basic tank-based units, you’re just using more energy if the tank and pipe aren’t insulated, and in either case, your water is reaching faucets and showers not quite as hot as you planned. Before you change the thermostat setting on the unit, check the water temperature upstairs. If it’s much lower than you set on the water heater, the problem is most likely in the pipes.
Our water heater repair expert can make sure that your thermostat and heater are working properly as well, just in case. But if your pipes aren’t insulated, you’ll be surprised how much that can help, especially if they are routed in uninsulated places like outer walls and under the concrete slab. By the way, that’s another place to look for waste if your pipes were installed along with the foundation. Hot water pipes leaking under the slab can cost you a lot in wasted energy. Is your heater always heating, hot water pressure low, or the basement floor strangely warm? Call our water heater repair team for leak detection as part of our service visit.
Faucet and Showerhead Selection for Hot Water Use Reduction
While your older toilet wastes just water by using a lot per flush, except for the most spartan of us the shower and sink waste both water and energy when they’re using more than they need to. If you have us install a touchless faucet, all that time between the start of your routine and the end, such as shaving or brushing your teeth, the faucet automatically cuts off the wasted heat and water and resumes supplying what you need when you indicate you need it by moving your hands down again. In the shower, engineers have been designing shower heads that cut down on water use but still get you rinsed off quickly, using clever ways to blast lower amounts of water so it still does the job.
Tankless Water Heaters in the Bathroom and Kitchen
If you’re wasting a lot of water and heat waiting for hot water to rise through your pipes, our water heater repair and installation techs have an idea. It’s also for those who want higher temperature water in certain locations but don’t want to waste energy and add risk for some people by turning up your main water heater. Consider a small, tankless unit that instantly raises the temperature of your water in the kitchen or bathroom, on the spot, and only as long as you need it to.
Water Heater Repair and Energy Savings Experts in Bloomington, IL
Ask us about ways we can help you get more hot water out of the energy you put into your water heater. At Covenant Plumbing in Bloomington, IL, we have answers to your plumbing questions, so give us a call.
