Tankless Water Heater Install in Oklahoma City
We’re heading into spring; the days are getting longer, and the nights are getting shorter, which means summertime is just around the corner. Along with summer, there are trips to the pool, splash pad, or probably the zoo. It could be family vacations, maybe a trip to see your parents or a brother or sister. Or maybe you’re the one who’s having house guests. Getting to see a family that you haven’t seen in a while is great, and having breakfast together in the morning is a wonderful experience.
One thing about having overnight house guests is that it can put your plumbing to the test. Whether you like to take a shower in the morning or at night, waiting for the bathroom can be difficult, especially if you want to take a hot shower, but there’s no hot water left. So, either you take a cold shower or you wait. When you go from a household of 4 to a household of 8, it’s going to exhaust your hot water pretty quickly. Most of the time, you have plenty of hot water, but not when you have to share it with twice the number of people as before. It would be nice to have more hot water for those times.
At that point, you have about three choices. You can live with it and just have a regimented bathing schedule. You could just not have house guests, but a third solution and probably the best is to get a tankless water heater install in Oklahoma City. One of the benefits of a tankless water heater is that it will heat as much water as you need and won’t heat any when you don’t need it. Now, that’s a pretty convincing reason, but what are the other benefits?
- Tankless Oklahoma City water heaters are much smaller than standard ones. So, you would have much more available hot water, taking up less space to heat it.
- Tankless water heaters only heat the water that is used, so they are very energy-efficient. That will go directly towards fuel bill savings.
- Tankless Oklahoma City water heaters have a longer lifespan than a standard tank if you maintain them well. It can last 20 years or longer.
What is involved in changing a tank-type water heater with a tankless water heater?
Well, if you’re convinced you want to take the plunge into warmer waters, there are a few things that you need to know. The basic concept of a tankless water heater is simple enough. It’s essentially a mini-boiler since the water passes through a heat exchanger, which is basically coiled copper tubing. It’s how it gets there that gets more complicated. Here are some of the requirements for a complete installation:
- Although a tankless water heater is much more efficient, it needs more gas at once than normal. That means the gas pipe that runs to your water heater may be too small. If that’s the case, you must upgrade your gas to have enough.
- Although most tankless Oklahoma City water heaters are gas-fired, they still need to have a 110 Volt electrical outlet within a couple of feet of the unit. If there is none, you will have to have a licensed electrician run a new circuit.
- Since the water heater is creating condensation, it will need to be drained somewhere. If a drain is not available, a condensate pump will work in its place.
- The condensation that’s being produced by the water heater is acidic, and it is required to be treated with a neutralizer.
Once all those requirements are addressed, in most cases, you will have all the elements you need to install the heater. Unless you’re replacing a tankless water heater that already exists, the first thing that will need to be done after the old water heater has been removed is to re-route the hot water lines.
A tankless water heater has gas, water, and the drain tied in at the bottom of the unit. The old vent needs to be removed, and the new one has to be roughed in. Next, the wall mount bracket must be installed, and the water heater should be set in place. Once that is done, it’s time to make all the final connections to the unit, install a drain pan below the unit, and add the neutralizer and a pump if necessary.
Some units have available options, and some may require conversion from natural gas to propane. Therefore, a more detailed start-up might be necessary. However, once it’s up and running, you can count on having a continuous flow of hot water and not heating unused water.
There are many options and details to address, so we would love to hear from you. Call us today and schedule your free estimate!
At Lakeshore Plumbing Heating and Air, we offer top-tier service, the best materials, and the best warranty. Spring can sneak up on you, so call us to schedule an AC tune-up. We can check your plumbing, make any necessary repairs and possibly save you some heartache at the same time.
Visit our website at lakeshoreplumbingokc.com or call us at 405-365-7379.
Don’t forget to ask for your $100 first-time customer discount!