Plumbing Service | Arlington, TX

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Buying a new water heater can be a very daunting task for any homeowner. Even if you have purchased a water heater in the past, finding a new model can be just as confusing. A lot has changed over the last few decades, and there are dozens of options, styles, and features. That is why it is advisable to consult with a plumbing service in Arlington, TX to make sure you purchase a water heater that is the right style and size for your home.

A water heater is a sizable appliance. If you make a wise purchase it can last for a decade or two with proper maintenance from a plumbing service in Arlington, TX. However, that will only happen if it is large enough to support the needs of your home and is properly installed by a professional. If the replacement is an emergency you may feel forced into purchasing the first water heater you see, but if you are aware yours is getting old you can start looking at replacements while you have the time.

It is always better to be proactive about replacement so that you don’t find yourself without hot water or find a flood in your basement. The following is a complete guide that can help you figure out what water heater will be best for your home. It covers sizing issues, model issues, and installation issues. Keep in mind that while this information will help you make a more informed decision, you should always consult with an Arlington, TX plumbing service before making your final purchase. You also should always allow a professional plumbing service in Arlington, TX install your water heater to ensure it is safely and correctly installed.

Water Heater Types

The best place to start is with the basics: water heater types. In general, there are three different types of water heaters. Once you pick out the type you want, then you can start to look at sizes and features. There is no sense of comparing features and sizes until you know the exact type you want. Choosing the right type for your home will help you narrow down your search perimeter to make it easier to choose among your options offered by your plumbing service.

Storage Tank Water Heaters

The first type is storage tank water heaters. These are the most common and conventional options. Chances are this is the one that you have seen the most. This type of water heater features a large tank that is insulated. It stores water in the tank until it is needed and then refills the tank as the hot water is used. Storage tank water heaters generally run on either gas or electricity. If you are not sure which power source you need, consult with an Arlington, TX plumbing service who can identify the size and power source of your current hot water heater.

Hybrid Water Heaters

If energy efficiency is your top concern, you may want to consider a hybrid water heater. Hybrid heaters capitalize on ambient heat that exists in the air. They pull the heat out of the air to warm water that is kept inside, but the problem is they need to be placed in a warm area so that there is heat for them to extract from the air. In warmer locations, this is not as large of an issue but bear in mind that if you have the A/C on year-round in Arlington, Texas this can still be something worth thinking about. Additionally, hybrid water heaters by nature are large and awkward, which can make them hard to discreetly hide in your home. They do reduce energy consumption, however, so if this is important to you then it may be worth mulling over with your plumbing service to see if there is any possibility of it working for you.

Tankless Water Heaters

As the name implies, tankless heaters do not store water and do not have a tank. Tankless heaters heat water on demand by running it across hot piping. They don’t store any water so they only run when you need hot water. This alone can help cut down your energy costs, and it can help people who consume a lot of hot water. Since the hot water is produced on demand, you don’t have to worry about your hot water tank running out of hot water while you are in the middle of a task. Of course, there are downsides to using a tankless water heater as well. While they don’t run out of water per se, they can struggle to keep up with supplying hot water to multiple fixtures at the same time. Thus, they work best in homes with smaller families due to the lower demand for hot water simultaneously. Your plumbing service can help you decide if it would be a good fit for your home or not.

What Is Your Average Hot Water Use?

Now that you have an idea of what types of hot water heaters are available, you need to think about what you actually want from your hot water heater. The very first thing you need to consider is how much hot water you use in your home. If you are looking at traditional storage-tank water heaters, the amount of water you use is known as FHR or first-hour rating. If you are looking at a tankless water heater the amount of water is assigned a GPM rating or gallons-per-minute.

While they are rated in different ways, they give you an idea of how much hot water the given hot water tank can produce in a fixed amount of time. Most water tank heaters start at around 55 gallons of water and then increase higher. Once again, before you make a choice you need to know how much water you use. While it can be tempting to choose a smaller model because they are cheaper, any good plumbing service will tell you that you will pay for this dearly if you are a heavy consumer of hot water.

If you have a large family, multiple bathrooms, or often run hot water from multiple areas of the home frequently you need to consider a larger tank. Even if your family is small you may run more hot water than you think. For instance, all you need to do is run the dishwasher while someone washes their hands and another person takes a shower for the water to run cold. On the other hand, you don’t want to buy a large, obtrusive water tank that is hard to fit into your home if you don’t really need a large amount of hot water.

Energy costs factor into your final decision on the size as well. A larger capacity water heater will come with a higher price tag. Even a t