Hot water is pretty simple stuff, right? It comes from a tank where it’s heated by electric or gas and stored until you need it. When the 40 gallons or so run out, you wait for it to reheat some more. At Covenant Plumbing, we offer a number of alternatives to basic tank-based water heater replacement that you might consider for your home. If you have a large family, do most of your bathing and washing on Saturdays, love to take baths instead of showers, or have other lifestyle patterns, we can help. Let’s make sure that you have the right amount of energy-efficient hot water from your water heater replacement, when you need it. You’re likely to have it for 10 or even 20 years, so we’re glad to help you make sure it’s the right source of hot water for an enjoyable life.
A Declining Water Heater Can Reveal Your Family’s Needs
If your water heater isn’t keeping up like it used to and your family is more limited in showers, washing, and other uses, that can help determine your direction when choosing a water heater replacement. Often, people instinctively adjust to the hot water capacity, for example by getting ahead in the line for the shower. They might also wind up adjusting laundry schedules, leading to a backup in the hamper. Selecting the right water heater replacement can not only fix any problems with a failing water heater, but provide the right capacity at the correct time for optimum support of your family’s lifestyle. If your family is changing, with kids growing and getting into sports or other shower and laundry intensive activities, it’s great to plan ahead.
Water Heater Tank Capacities
Typical tank capacity for a residential water heater is 40 gallons, but there are other sizes available. At Covenant Plumbing, we can help you decide which capacity best meets your family’s needs, even installing multiple or large capacity tanks. With tank-based water heaters, maintenance is the key to avoiding leaks and ruptures later on. Our plumbers can check the tank, make adjustments and test the safety valve, and update the anode rod every few years so it continues to reduce tank corrosion. The same goes for tanks in hybrid water heaters. Have you heard about them, and how they can save on your energy costs?
Hybrid Water Heaters Pull Heat from the Air
Just like heat pumps, hybrid water heaters use compressor technology and leverage a bit of electricity to pull a lot of heat from the surrounding air. This provides you with a significant advantage over directly heating the water with electricity or gas. Hybrid water heaters typically include a backup electric heater as well, but the primary heat source is usually your basement’s warm air. Since the Department of Energy estimates hot water uses about 20 percent of your home’s energy use, it’s a good place to save. Hybrid is up to three times more efficient! It’s easy to install in the same space as a standard tank, with a bit more headroom for the compressor and control unit.
Tankless Hot Water, Everybody Wants to Know About It!
When you choose a tankless water heater replacement, your hot water is heated on demand, for as long as you want it to flow. That makes a big difference when everyone’s in line for the shower, since even the last person doesn’t have a shiver. You can even do a few loads of laundry right afterward, making it perfect for playing catch-up on a weekend. Tankless units come in various flow rates, which allows you to account for simultaneous use such as multiple showers in your home or a shower and washing machine. Our experts can help with calculations to meet your needs, and if you already have a tankless unit we can provide a water heater replacement with a higher flow rate. These hot water heaters can last about double what a tank-based unit can, or around 20 years. They require regular maintenance and cleaning, removing sediment and clearing the vent in particular. They can save a lot of energy, since they don’t keep heating a tankful of water all the time, even while you’re away.
Converting to Tankless Takes a Bit of Planning
A tankless water heater replacement can save a lot of energy with on-demand hot water, but it does use short bursts of energy when heating your water. That means instead of slowly heating a tank full of water, it quickly heats water as it flows through. Installation of these units frees up a lot of space since there’s no tank, and they typically are mounted on the wall. Additional peak gas or electric capacity needs to be installed in most cases for those heating bursts. Our water heater replacement team can outline the process and fill in the details for your home.
Making a Choice for Your Family’s Long-Lasting Hot Water Supply
What’s the right source of hot water for your home and budget? Our plumbers have a lot of experience working with families to choose and get their units installed, and they’ve learned a lot about how things work out. Ultimately, it’s up to you, and whatever you choose will work beautifully for you after we install it. Make sure to stay in touch for all your plumbing needs, especially maintenance for your great new water heater!
Even if you needed a water heater replacement yesterday, at Covenant Plumbing we can help you make sure the one we install for you is right for your family’s needs. Why not get to know us now and talk about what’s available for water heaters and how their energy efficiency can help your budget? Our installations are well-planned with a careful cleanup, and you’ll be enjoying plentiful hot water again! Call today.
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