Water Heaters
Written by Elizabeth Wood
Editor In Chief, United Home Improvement

Water heaters are responsible for supplying your home with heated water by using energy to covert cold water to hot water. Traditional water heaters use a storage tank to hold heated water until it is needed. They typically run off of natural gas, but electric and propane heaters are also common. In addition, there are also tank less water heaters that route water to where it needs to be instead of storing it.

When purchasing a new water heater, or simply replacing your old one, you must first decide on whether to buy a gas or electric model. If you're replacing an existing water heater, check to see what type you have now. Certain house are not equipped with a natural gas outlet. In this case, you are best going with an electric water heater. Keep in mind, however, that it is more expensive to operate an electric model.

Next you must decide what size water heater you will need. The size of your heater depends on the amount of bathrooms in your home, the size of your bathtubs, and the amount of people that will be using water. 30 to 40 gallon heaters will typically supply a one bathroom home. As the amount of bathrooms increase, the size of your heater needs to increase. Keep in mind that electric water heaters require more time to heat, and will therefore need a larger tank to store the water, as opposed to gas heaters. For this reason, homes that would require a 50 gallon gas heater will need an larger electric one.

As with any household appliance, a certain amount of maintenance is require. Most problems associated with water heaters are related to the water being too hot, too cold, or just not enough of it. To make sure that water does not run at extremely hot temperatures, make sure your thermostat is at 120 degrees. Many injuries are cause by people coming in contact with scalding water. You now have the option of installing cut off valves to your tubs and showers that will automatically stop the flow of water when temperatures dramatically increase.

If you are noticing that there isn’t enough hot water during your showers and such, you may need to upgrade to a larger tank, or install a second water heater to provide more storage space. Often times you will notice that you aren’t getting hot water at all. This could mean one of two things depending on the type of heater you have. If you have a gas-powered heater you may need to check the pilot light or gas line. For electric heaters you may need to reset the thermostat and check to make sure power is running to it.

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