Water heaters are some of the most essential components or installations in a home plumbing system. The home water heater handles all hot water needs in a typical household. This means that you rely on your water heater for the hot water needed for showering, cleaning utensils, cleaning the house, drinking, and any other sanitary purposes. Most plumbing companies offer water heater services as a complete specialty of their plumbing services. Water heater services usually include the installation, repairs, upgrades, and maintenance of water heaters. Basically, water heater plumbing includes all the water heater services mentioned above. The following guide covers everything you need to know about water heaters as a homeowner.
Types Of Water Heaters
There are three main types of water heaters: conventional storage, tankless, and heat pump water heaters. Conventional storage water heaters are the most popular in the United States mainly because they cost relatively less to by and install. As the name suggests, conventional storage water heaters come with a reservoir tank for holding the heated water for usage. Tankless water heaters on the other hand do not have a storage tank for holding heated water but rather heat water on demand and are hence also called demand-type or instantaneous water heaters. Heat pump water heaters use the reverse refrigeration technique to absorb het from the environment and use it for heating water. Comparatively, tankless water heaters are more efficient that conventional storage models because they do not lose heat energy on stored water. Water heaters can also be classified according to their source of energy whereby we have electrical, gas-powered, geothermal, and solar water heaters.
Choosing A Water Heater
When choosing a water heater for your home, there are several things that you should always consider. The first and most important consideration is the type of water heater that you intend to buy. You can choose any of the water heaters discussed above. You should note that although tankless water heaters are relatively expensive to buy and install that conventional storage models, the former are by far more economical in the long run due to their relatively low maintenance and operational costs. Another key consideration when choosing a water heater is the type of fuel it uses. You should always buy a water heater whose power or fuel source is readily available in your locality and better still in your home. This means that you should first confirm whether the specific model uses the type of fuel in your locality. And even if the fuel source is not already connected to your home, such as natural gas lines, you can hire a licensed DC gas plumber to install the gas lines and set up a gas-powered water heater in your home.
Hiring Water Heater Plumbers
Water heater plumbers are professional plumbing technicians who are licensed by the DC Board of Industrial Trades to provide water heater services and all kinds of other plumbing services in your home state. When hiring a water heater plumber to install or fix your water heating installation, you should always verify their academic and technical qualifications. You should also vet them to ascertain their industry reputation in terms of quality service delivery, service charges, and other professional qualities. And last but not least, you should check and confirm that the water heater plumber is properly insured and bonded as required by law.