For those that may be visiting our plumbing blog for the first time, you’ll quickly notice that a common theme throughout quite a few of our blog posts is water heaters. Unsurprisingly, they serve an important purpose in our day-to-day lives and are something we also tend to take for granted from time-to-time. If you’re guilty of doing that, you’re certainly not alone! Nonetheless, the reason we focus on them is because they are one of many examples of plumbing components that we need working each and every day. When you hop in the shower, you expect hot water. When you turn on a faucet to wash your hands, you expect hot water. You get the point!
Since we write about water heaters fairly often, you might wonder what some of the potential topics associated with this important plumbing component are. Well…it could be in regards to sizing your heater, maintaining it, evaluating the different manufacturers, choosing between different types and so on! On this week’s blog, we’ll be taking a look at yet another important variable and that happens to be the installation location. As you can likely guess, not all homes have the exact same layout, so the water heater’s location can vary! We’ll dive deeper into that and more on today’s blog.
Basement
With the majority of homes, you’ll find that the water heater is installed in the basement, possibly in an unfinished part or even in a utility closet. While this continues to be an extremely popular location for installations, the one thing you’ll want to avoid doing is completely forgetting about it. After all, as long as the water is heating up, the actual water heater may never even cross your mind. Nonetheless, the one important thing we tell homeowners with water heaters installed in their basement is to check on it every now and then. Make sure there’s no leaks or any irregularities. Stay diligent on the proper maintenance practices, such as an annual flush of the tank. Also, be sure to monitor the installation date. On average, storage tank water heaters typically last roughly 12 years. Once you exceed that timeline, it wouldn’t hurt to check it a little more often, especially if you’re noticing a lack of hot water. All in all, the basement is a perfectly permissible location for a water heater to be installed.
What if there is no basement?
Even though basement water heaters tend to be the most common nowadays, it’s important to note that not all homes have basements, yet still need hot water. In these situations, there are a few alternatives to consider. Garages, attics, crawlspace or even the laundry room are all possibilities. As we discussed in the previous section, those same rules hold true. You’ll want to check on it from time-to-time and make sure there’s nothing noticeable that looks awry.
Is it readily accessible?
While water heaters can be installed in a few different locations, one caveat worth discussing is how readily accessible it is. In other words, if you need a repair or even a replacement made, how hard is it going to be for the plumber to work on it? Depending on the difficulty of getting to it, that could possibly result in a higher bill for the homeowner. Not to mention, while we’re on this topic, it’s also important to avoid storing a bunch of things right around the water heater. For one, you’ll have to move it all if you ever need to work on the water heater or even just to notice if a leak may be occuring. However, more importantly, you don’t want to create a potentially hazardous situation, such as having any combustible items nearby that could result in an even more serious emergency!
How about tankless water heaters?
Storage tank water heaters continue to be the most common water heater option for homeowners. However, that doesn’t mean tankless water heaters aren’t continuing to become more and more popular. Tankless water heaters last 20-plus years compared to the 12-year average of storage tank water heaters, albeit coming at a higher installation cost. They occupy much less space than their storage tank counterparts and can be mounted on the wall. Lastly, they’re able to provide hot water on-demand, as they aren’t relying on heated water in a storage tank. What’s not to love?
So…you might wonder, where would be the best place to have a tankless water heater installed? As I just mentioned, one of the major advantages of a tankless heater is the fact that they don’t take up nearly as much space as a traditional storage tank water heater. This allows for a lot more flexibility in terms of where it’s installed. Nonetheless, the one thing you’ll want to keep in mind with a tankless water heater’s location is the necessary venting required. Ultimately, to determine whether or not a tankless water heater could be a possibility in your home’s existing layout, it’s worthwhile to have a professional plumber out to take a look. They’ll be able to monitor the current set-up and figure out the best plan of attack for installing necessary vent pipes. Most of the time, assuming everything checks out, homeowners opt to have their new tankless water heater installed near the same spot as the previous storage tank unit.
Understand the Local Codes and Existing Set-Up
One advantage of working with a licensed plumber is the fact that they should be aware of any local code requirements. This can be said about a number of home services and plumbing definitely falls in that category. For water heater installation, the exact location can be impacted by local codes. Furthermore, if you’re interested in moving the location of your water heater, it would also be wise to evaluate the existing set-up of your plumbing system. If possible, you would probably like to avoid making any major changes that could result in a much higher bill. Again, this isn’t going to be the case for all situations, but definitely something worth keeping in mind.
Water Heater Repair and Installation Services in Kansas City
As we mentioned in the introduction, water heaters are a common topic on our blog. After all, as a residential and commercial plumbing contractor here in Kansas City, they are something we deal with on a routine basis. Our team of plumbing technicians has experience installing new heaters, troubleshooting existing issues and so on! Not to mention, we have also been able to work with heaters from many of the major brands and can provide recommendations as to which ones should provide the best return on investment.
While we didn’t provide a formal introduction at the start of this blog post, for anyone that may be stopping by for the first time, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing. Since opening our plumbing business, we’ve been honored to provide a wide selection of plumbing services over the past 8 years. Whether it be for water heater installation, drain cleaning, sewer line repair or any other plumbing service, it’s been fun to work with such an awesome community of homeowners and local businesses. If you live in or near the Kansas City area and are needing some help with a water heater-related project, don’t hesitate to give us a call at (816) 348-3481. We’re always happy to help! Stay tuned for more water heater content on our blog!