Water Heater Installation
By AndreaB Water Heater • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Things to Consider For Water Heater Installation

If you want a steady flow of hot water going to all the plumbing fixtures in your household year-round, water heater installation should be a top priority. Here are things you should consider before installing a water heater.

Type of Water Heater:  

There is a selection of water heaters, including conventional water heaters, tankless water heaters, and solar water heaters. Your water heater installation professional can suggest which option is best suited for your home.

Type of Fuel: 

Gas and electricity are the two main fuel types for water heaters. The fuel type you consider to use requires aligning with your requirements at the moment, especially for water heater installation. A gas water heater may be the right choice if you want to save cost on energy. But, if you wish to opt for a water heater for longer-lasting power, an electric water heater may be better. It all depends on your choice.

Demands of Hot Water: 

Speaking of personal choices, your hot water demands are also a vital point of consideration. In case your home has a lot of kitchen and bathroom fixtures, you have to install the right water heater that can cover all of them. On the other hand, a water heater installation that will offer you with more than what you require simply isn’t an efficient way to go.

The Rate of Energy Efficiency: 

You will also have to think about how a water heater will be able to save you money on energy bills. In case your conventional water heater is mounting your bill on the energy front, then you have to consider switching to a tankless water heater. It features a 96% efficiency rate. Otherwise, a solar water heater is also an acceptable alternative since it won’t burn fuel as much.

Overall Cost: 

The average cost of installing a conventional water heater in 2016 was around $889.00. Whilst that may be more cost-effective as compared to other types, don’t let it become the sole driving factor in your decision. A cost-efficient water heater is not always the best option, particularly when you are opening yourself up to the chance of poor water heating performance and lower levels of efficiency.

Winter will be here before you know it. Don’t get caught in the cold. Schedule a Water Heater Installation Today. You don’t have to stick to a particular water heater if it does not meet your requirements. Allow a professional to decide the best for you today.

Best Water Heater Installation

If you are struggling in knowing what is best for you, call Mitch Clemmons Plumbing for the best water heater installation option. We have years of experience to know what water heater will prove to be the right fit for your home. We will come equipped with all the tools and equipment necessary to install any system. Call us at 562-362-3218

Tankless water heaters
By AndreaB Water Heater 0 Comments

Tankless water heaters pros & cons

Tankless Water Heaters or not?

I’ve been getting a few questions about the subject of tankless water heaters lately.  I’m not much of a salesman since I talk most of my customers out of the bigger job of converting to a tankless water heater.  Under most circumstances for most homeowners it just simply does not make very much sense to me.

  • Tankless water heater pros

    • Never ending hot water (in theory)!  In some households that initially sounds like a huge plus… especially households with kids that like long showers.
    • Take up less space and can even be mounted on an exterior wall or in an attic
    • Have a lower cost per year to operate (though, as I will explain later, the long term cost is much higher)

  • Tankless water heater cons

    • Requires electricity to operate… no electricity = no hot water
    • Initial cost is much higher
    • Long term cost is higher
    • No in home water storage tank.  With a 50 gallon traditional tank water heater, in an emergency situation (earthquake, power outage, civil unrest…) you would have 50 gallons of clean drinkable water in the house.  With a tankless water heater you will have none other than what is in the pipes.

A tankless water heater requires a larger gas line than a traditional water heater, it requires electricity, and it requires special venting. Due to this a typical cost to covert from your existing tank water heater to a tankless water heater is around $3500.00. This price can vary depending on your particular situation. A typical price to replace a standard 50 gallon water heater is $920.00. So the difference in initial cost is $2580.00 (average costs).

Tankless Water Heaters – Brands:

The Noritz NR71 is an adequate tankless water heater for a small home and has an EF (energy efficiency) rating of 0.83.  The Bradford White 50 gallon water heater model #M4TW50T6FBN has an EF rating of 0.67. I calculated the cost per year to operate each of these units by using the information from here and here and found the Nortiz will cost your $81.44 per year less than it would to operate the Bradford White 50 gallon. The initial cost of $2580 divided by the cost per year of $81.44 shows it will take you 32 years before you hit the break even point.  And honestly you will never break even since you will have to replace that tankless water heater at least once during that time.

There are circumstances where I think tankless water heaters are okay. If you are limited in space and need to free up that water heater closet.  If you can afford the space and money to store water by some other means for emergency situations.  And last but not least, if you are insistent that you want one and are willing to pay?

As a side note, if you are running out of hot water for your showers it can often be remedied by simply replacing your existing water heater with one the next size up or with a larger “first hour rating”.

Tankless water heaters can be a terrific choice!