Is it Really a Shower Without a Water Heater?

Are you someone who loves getting into a nice, cold bath? Or perhaps a frigid shower is more your speed? We will take a wild guess and say this is not your preference when it comes to bathing. In fact, most people living in the United States can’t imagine going one day without warm water!

More than that, the average American household uses 80-120 gallons of hot water every day. That being said, it doesn’t happen on its own and that’s where we come in.

Bathroom Plumbing 101: The Hot Water Heater

Water heaters are essential to your daily routine as it affects your ability to do laundry and wash dishes. However, where we really feel the need for a water heater is in the bathroom. Like we stated before…most people do not enjoy cold showers.

The water in our homes is inherently cold, but a water heater will take the water through a dip tube, heat it up and then once that water rises to the top of your tank, it gets distributed throughout your home. It’s not complex, but it’s absolutely necessary.

Water Heaters Don’t Discriminate

It doesn’t matter how big or small your home is, water heaters don’t discriminate. However, in order to optimize the performance of your water heater, installation is key and looks different depending on where you live.

For instance, if installing a water heater in your mobile home, it’s essential that there is not only proper ventilation but that it meets all necessary standards by the U.S. Department of housing.

Typically we recommend installing the heater outside of your home so that a standard, gas heater can be used. In order to install this type of water heater, there are many, many, many steps.

We must shut off water and gas, drain the tank, remove old water, install a drip pan, add the TPR valve, place the new water heater, complete the vent connection, add a TPR discharge tube, connect the water lines, make and test the gas connection, fill the tank, check the installation and then finally start the tank. As we said, installation is everything.

Do NOT Install Yourself

As you can see, the installation process, even for a smaller home, is not easy and we don’t recommend trying to do it yourself.

Although we shop at stores like Home Depot from time to time, we don’t advise our clients to go and purchase one to install themselves.

It’s essential that a professional install the water heater and ensures that it meets all safety codes and housing standards. In addition, although most water heaters can last anywhere from 10-13 years, tune-ups will be required before then.

Having your water heater installed by a professional will ensure that all necessary work to maintain your heater will be done accordingly. I’m sure we’ve all had an instance where we have run out of hot water at the most inopportune time, leaving us frustrated and maybe even forcing us to jump out of the shower with shampoo still in our hair!

At Reeves Family Plumbing, we are committed to ensuring that this never happens to you in your home. So next time you find yourself catching a chill, don’t just deal with it. Call us. We can help.