Important Things To Remember in Water Heater Installation

December 4, 2017

If a stream of hot water has devolved into a tepid sprinkle, don’t blame your taps. It’s likely the household water heater that’s responsible for your lukewarm water. After all, these appliances may be built to fade into the background, but they’re still one of the important components in an occupied structure. If it’s to be replaced, though, what do you need to know about the installation process?

Water Heaters: Knowing When to Replace

If there’s no hot water at all, then the choice to replace is straightforward. What about the ambiguous scenarios? Well, look for at least two telltale signs, ones that indicate imminent failure. Leakage in the area where the heater is installed, well, that’s a no-brainer. The appliance is failing. The engineer will likely check nearby pipes for signs of a damaged gasket, but the odds are good that the water heater is on its way out. Other giveaways include a noisy tank and rusty water.

Solving Pre-Installation Questions 

Contemporary water heaters are more energy efficient than their predecessors. That’s an important feature, especially when you consider how many kilowatts this large appliance can consume. Still, before that high-efficiency model can be selected properly, the technician needs to know your fuel type. Gas or electric, fuel oil or some other exotic energy source, the tech selects the water heater. The next choice is a little harder to make, but the energy efficiency question does simplify matters. Is this a standard storage heater or a tankless model? Conventional water heaters are relatively efficient, especially when they’re insulated, but the tankless variant offers an ‘on-demand’ feature that really brings home the savings.

The Nitty-Gritty of Installation 

The above points have been weighed, plus the capacity of the water heater matches the size of the property. Next, turn off the water supply and isolate the fuel source. That means the gas or oil line needs to be shut off. Likewise, the electrical circuit breaker should be switched ‘OFF.’ After the old unit has been pulled, the new model is leveraged into position. All being well, it fits perfectly. Now the various fittings require attention. Copper or plastic pipes, they must couple perfectly. In the case of that metal piping solution, matters can be simplified by employing a series of flexible metal hoses.

The installation process continues with a safety-conscious mindset. Happily, half the work is solved during the prep stage, the selection of the right water heater and knowledge of the existing fittings. From here, the newly installed model is hooked into the hot water line. Again, seasoned engineers do this job best, because they establish safe working practices. Fuel and power isolation is a must here, as is an intermediate to expert skill level.

Optimized by NetwizardSEO.com.au