Buying a new water heater may not be on your mind right now; yet if the need arises, purchasing a new water heater is something you can’t put off until later.
If your household has become dependent on the comfort a functional water heater provides, it’ll be difficult not to have a functioning unit at home for your chores and others. In fact, water heaters are now almost considered a need rather than a luxury.
Things To Consider Before Replacing Your Water Heater
Replacing your water heater is a big decision, one you must first put a lot of thought into. Ideally, this is done at a time when you have an old water heater way beyond its lifespan and has unreliable efficiency. Or, in unfortunate situations, your water heater is damaged to the point that repairs are futile.
When the time comes, there are certain factors you must consider first to be certain if replacing your water heater is the best choice for your home. Check out the following list to learn more.
The Need For A Replacement
Before setting out to buy a replacement water heater, you must be sure that such action is the only solution possible. That way, you’re assured that the expense that comes with a brand-new water heater is worth it.
To help you decide, here are some of the telling signs that replacing your water heater is a must-do:
- Your water heater is around eight to 12 years old or above that;
- There are recurring problems like leaks and corrosions that seem to not go away despite regular unit upkeep;
- You’re moving to a new home, and you can’t take your old water heater with you;
- Your bills are consistently going up, even without any drastic increase in usage.
If you happen to observe any of the signs mentioned, it’s time to call a reliable plumber to discuss all your water heater options.
Efficiency Rate
If you’re like most homeowners, the last thing you’d want to go through is having your bills skyrocket because of a water heater. This can happen to old units that are no longer as efficient as they used to be. So, before buying a replacement unit, checking and assessing the water heater’s efficiency rate is a must.
Size
The water heater size and your family’s needs go hand-in-hand. Generally, the bigger your family, the higher the usage. This also means you can benefit more from a bigger water heater. You don’t need to buy more than you need, as bigger water heaters also translate to higher costs. Hence, it’s important to get this assessment or estimate done as accurately as possible.
Along with your household’s water heater needs, factor in your physical space as well. Check if the water heater you’re keen on buying can fit into where your old water heater used to be.
Type
Once you’ve determined the size, you can proceed with the type of water heater. There are many to choose from, and they’re classified as the following:
- Conventional storage water heater comes with a reservoir that makes them ideal for daily use;
- Tankless coil and indirect water heater utilizes a home’s existing space heating system to heat the water;
- Tankless water heater directly heats water sans the need for a storage tank;
- Solar-powered water heaters, as their name suggests, use the sun’s radiant energy to make hot water. This is great for households switching to renewable energy sources, being the eco-friendlier choice. On top of this, using clean energy like the sun helps reduce your household’s utility consumption and bills; and
- Heat pump water heaters, which move heat from one place in the home to another instead of simply generating heat solely for providing hot water.
If the list and specifications above are too technical for you to be convinced about your decision, don’t shy away from asking expert plumbers for their opinion. You can benefit from what they have to say, especially if your replacement unit is a different type from that of your old water heater.
The Bottomline
The water heater is one of the most used at-home appliances in almost every household today. You may not give it much thought, but you can notice when something’s wrong with your water heater. If you’re lucky and the issue is only minor, repairs are still possible. However, buying a new one is the go-to choice if the fixes are too frequent or if the unit is declared irreparable by an expert.
When replacing your water heater at your home, nonetheless, factor in the considerations listed above first. A water heater is a big purchase; hence; going through a checklist of some sort prior gives you peace of mind about the water heater being a good buy.
