REPAIR VERSUS REPLACE

Gas hot water heaters typically last 8-12 years.  If yours is approaching or beyond those years, is past its warranty, or has several previous repairs it’s probably time for a replacement.  Especially if there’s evidence of rust or scale.

There are other reasons for a replacement rather than a repair as well.  With an add-on or remodeling, you may want added capacity.  Or you may want to invest for energy savings.

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE

Most people ignore their water heater until it breaks down.  You shouldn’t.  Leading manufacturers recommend an annual drain and flush to remove sediment.  That improves efficiency, gives you more hot water, and helps the heater last longer.  We can provide preventive maintenance along with a performance and safety inspection for a surprisingly low cost.

Replacement Installation

Our professional water heater installation services make sure everything’s working properly — safely and efficiently — for the best performance, highest reliability, and longest lifetime.  For gas models that includes proper venting.

It’s tempting to go for a large size, but over-sizing greatly reduces efficiency.  So it’s likely your replacement will be a similar tank size and heating capacity.  But we can analyze your use for a perhaps better fit.  If you need more capacity, adding a small tankless water heater may be a better choice than a larger replacement.

TIP:  The warranty period is a pretty good indicator of quality and expected lifetime.  Needless to say models with longer warranties (and higher efficiencies) are a bit more expensive.

You should also consider high-performance Energy Star models.  These typically use 25% less energy than the economy and older models.  Other features, such as low-NOX and flame arrestors, may be required by local codes.  We’ll let you know if these apply.

Whatever make and model you choose our water heater installation specialists will disconnect and haul away your old one and install the new one to fully meet code, with earthquake straps and drip pan.  We’ll take care of permits and will double-check that everything’s working properly before we leave.  Most replacements, residential and commercial, take just a few hours.