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Water Heaters
Conventional Natural Gas, Propane, or Electric Storage Water Heaters:
Storage Water Heater Brands We Work On:
The Technicians at Day & Nite Plumbing & Heating work on all brands of water heaters including:
A.O. Smith, Bradford White, State, John Wood, Apollo, Rheem, Ruud, Whirlpool, American, and U.S. Craftmaster. We can help you with any style of tank type water heater; Natural Draft, Power Vent, Direct Vent, Residential, Commercial, ASME, Electric, Propane, Natural Gas, Condensing, ect...
...Because our Plumbing & Heating Technicians come in fully stocked trucks we are prepared to handle most water heater repairs and installs in just one visit.
Storage Water Heater Installation:
When you purchase a water heater install from Day & Nite Plumbing & Heating our technicians will provide a new water heater and recycle your old one. Water Heaters generally come with a 6 year Manufacture Warranty and can be upgraded to a 10 year Manufacture Warranty, and with a Day & Nite Plumbing & Heating installation we warranty our work for one year parts and labor regardless of the limitations of a manufacture warranty. Because we choose to personally warranty our parts and installation ourselves for a year we use Quality Water Heaters & Installation Parts, and our technicians know the code requirements to install your hot water tank properly & safely.
It is always more cost effective to plan to replace a water heater than wait until it leaks to avoid being out of service, inconvenient timing, & property damage. There are three factors when considering to replace your water heater.
1. Property Damage. Is the water heater located where there could be potential property damage if it were to leak?
2. Age. Is the water heater at the age where it does not make sense to repair if it can be repaired, and/or should I consider replacing it before it becomes an emergency?
3. Upgrade. Is my current water heater adequate for the needs of my household?
How Long Should A Storage Water Heater Last?
Depending on whether or not annual maintenance has been done consistently and if the water heater was installed per code a typical hot water tank can last 8 to 12 years. However most water heaters don’t have annual maintenance performed on them by a professional and often forego necessary code requirements, this can often shorten the life of a water heater, because of this we mostly replace water heaters between 8 to 10 years due to a leaking tank in the water heater.
How Do I Order A New Water Heater?
Just give us a call any time, Day or Night. Our call taker will ask you for information to help us provide you with a new water heater so our technician can have the best chance to bring the correct water heater out to your home or business in one visit. Our call takers will gladly walk you through the information they will need over the phone and will help you determine what type of water heater you have.
Wasting Hot Water?
Tired of waiting for hot water? Tired of wasting water?
Many people don’t even realize how much water they are wasting waiting for it to get hot. Not sure if that’s you? Next time you get up in the morning or come home from work, before you run any other hot water, try this:
1. Plug your bathroom sink (or kitchen sink if you think that’s the furthest fixture from your water heater.)
2. While keeping an eye on the water level, turn on the hot water side of the faucet.
3. Let the hot side run until the water is *hot coming out of the faucet. (or before the sink overflows)
The water that remains in sink is how much water is being wasted every time you are waiting for hot water to reach your faucet. For most people this would be the master bathroom or the kitchen. If it is the bathroom then this water is being discarded twice a day. Fortunately there is a solution, and today we have technology available that makes it even more affordable than a conventional recirculation system without opening up walls. Let us help you save water, save money, and have the comfort of available hot water to your faucet in seconds.
*Hot water can scald. Use caution and a thermometer to determine when water is hot.
Water Heaters Used For Space Heating:
This is an inexpensive form of hydronic heating which typically a boiler would handle. In our industry it has become more and more popular in new construction to use a conventional hot water heater for not just providing potable hot water to use out of a faucet, but also to heat a living space. The heating method varies but is typically seen in one of these three forms:
• Wall Heaters with a fan that blows across a coil of hot water piped from the water heater.
• In Floor Radiant Heat. Piping runs through the floor from the water heater to provide warmth in the living space.
• Coil In Duct Work. Duct work like in a normal HVAC Furnace install is ran throughout the living space, but instead of a furnace providing heat to all the runs of the living a space a coil piped with hot water from the water heater does so with a fan that blows over it.
These systems tend to tax the water heater with with a much higher demand and typically last about six to eight years. Because we are set up to work on hydronic heating systems from small residential boilers to large commercial boilers we know how these systems should truly operate. Many make the mistake of assuming this is just like any other water heater, but these systems have their own safety risks, design limitations, and specifications to properly provide both hydronic heating and potable hot water. Improper install & set-up of controls may cause dangerous bacterial growth and reduce the comfort level this system can provide.
Like all water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, and heat pumps we recommend annual maintenance and safety check on this equipment.
What Controls The Heat To My Living Space?
What is typical for a end-user of a water heater providing space heating is a main thermostat that controls a pump. Sometimes there may be several thermostats controlling several pumps (often found in in-floor space heating). Sometimes there is one main thermostat that controls one pump and additional thermostats in each room that turns on a wall fan. Though the before mentioned are the most common there are many different variations. Knowing how your particular system works can help you optimize energy usage by not inadvertently using a heat load when it is not necessary. The thermostats used in this system are not the typical thermostat that you would use on a furnace heating system. Often we get the request to upgrade the thermostat with one that is digital and is more accurate. Those are usually a thermostat specifically for the specifications to handle the load requirements of this system. These thermostats are available to use, installing the wrong kind can be shock and/or fire hazard.
Tankless Water Heaters:
We have installed many Tankless Water Heaters in Snohomish & King County. Tankless Water Heaters can provide an endless source of hot water for one or two fixtures while being more efficient than the conventional storage tank water heaters for several reasons:
1. Hot water is not made and stored. It is only generated when there is a demand for Hot Water.
2. No Standing Pilot. A conventional gas or propane water heater has a constant pilot flame always burning day and night whether there is a demand for hot water or not.
3. Tankless Water Heater Gas Burners are much more efficient than the conventional storage tank style gas or propane water heater.
Do Tankless Water Heaters Really Work Well?
Tankless Water Heaters will work as designed when installed correctly by a professional which is ideal for proper operation and longevity. Often problems we see with Tankless Water Heaters are because someone cut corners on a new install, this is particularly true when replacing a conventional gas storage water heater with a gas Tankless Water Heater. A correct installation by a professional can avoid hazardous conditions, voided warranties, and costly repairs. Like your furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner a tankless water heater needs annual maintenance for optimal performance and reduced costly repairs.
Now after saying all that, they do work as designed. A Tankless Water Hea
ter can provide endless hot water with less space. With proper maintenance and installation they will out last the life of a conventional storage tank water heater. Tankless water heaters are also more energy efficient. As demonstrated below this chart from Rinnai shows and estimated annual energy cost comparison.
Do Tankless Water Heaters Really Provide Endless Hot Water?
The short answer is, Yes. However, unlike a conventional storage tank water heater where turning on several fixtures gets the same hot water out of all of them at the same time, a single gas Tankless Water Heater may not be able to handle that demand just because it does not have a large volume of pre-heated water in storage. Unlike a storage tank water heater hot water will not run out when running a single fixture, such as taking a long shower.
Combination Heating & Water Storage:
Often on boiler systems this option is overlooked and we find that our customer, commercial or residential, could utilize a boiler to provide both heat and hot water. Indirect fired hot water storage heaters are a great way to do this by using a single heat source to heat a tank of stored water. Though it is often seen in commercial applications it is becoming more and more popular to use a heat source such as a boiler to provide a tank of stored hot water in residential applications as well. When we design these systems we can make it so a boiler is utilized to serve more than one demand, such as provide space heating for a home or facility & potable hot water minimizing equipment. This system, with the right equipment, can be very efficient and provide high comfort and high hot water recovery, which means plenty of hot water for showers and other potable hot water uses.
Not sure if your boiler system can do this? Call us for a free estimate and let us help you find out.
