Serving all of Southern California
Is your old water heater no longer able to keep up with your household’s demands? Or are you planning on putting in the first water heater for a new house?
Whatever reason you’re considering purchasing a new water heater, we want to make sure you know about the heat pump water heater. It isn’t the best choice for all homes—but it may be the best for yours, and we don’t want you to miss out on this option.
The water temperature in the water heater in your house can be adjusted using a device called the aquastat. However, before you start making any adjustments to try to find the ideal temperature—either to save energy or for comfort—we must caution you about what can happen if the water heater is set too low or too high:
When you turn on the hot water faucet, you expect hot water. In fact, you don’t really expect it, you just take it as a given. But if you wait for the water to heat up, and it only gets to “lukewarm,” then you may have a problem with your water heater.
Before we take a closer look at the water heater’s potential troubles, make sure the problem isn’t restricted to only one fixture. If only one fixture is experiencing the issue, the trouble is probably with the mixing valve of that fixture, and you can direct your plumber right to the source of the problem.
A water heater that leaks is almost always a problem. If you have a tank water heater and you notice water is pooling around the base, it’s time to call for a licensed professional plumber to look at the system and find out what’s wrong. Leaking water can indicate a number of major problems that require repairs or, in some cases, a full replacement of the water heater.
However, there is an important exception, which we’ll talk about below.
When you turn on the taps in your house, whether for a sink faucet or a shower head, and the water pressure feels weaker than normal, there are a number of different possibilities. In most cases, this is a municipal issue that will soon be remedied. But it could also be leaks, hard water build-up, or problems with the water main to your house.
If the low water pressure is coming only from the hot water taps, then the trouble can be narrowed down a bit further. You could have a build-up of corrosion, sediment, or other debris in the hot water lines for the home, but not in the cold water lines. Or … you may have hot water heater problems. If the low water pressure is occurring at all the hot water taps, this is probably what you’re dealing with.
When people ask our experts this question—and it’s a question we hear often—what they usually want to know is if they should have their current aging water heater replaced with a new one. But it’s also something people ask when they get a new water heater so they know what to expect, and how much return they’ll receive from their investment in the new unit.
The question doesn’t have a single, simple answer. “It depends,” is one way to answer it, but that won’t satisfy anybody. Depends on what? And what can be done to see that it last for as long as possible?
A hot water heater is a heating device that works in all seasons. Here in Southern California, where the mild winters mean home heating systems that work only for a short time, a water heater does the same steady work as always, no matter the month on the calendar.
But if you’ve noticed a recent change in the temperature of the hot water from the taps and shower heads, or you just don’t think you’ve ever gotten sufficient warmth from the water heater, please don’t turn up the aquastat (the water heater’s thermostat) to try to make up for it!
We work with different types of water heaters when it comes to new installations, replacements, repairs, and maintenance. The majority of homes still use storage tank water heaters, but the tankless and heat pump water heater are becoming more common because they can help a household save money on energy bills. A heat pump water heater is a highly attractive option for a home that doesn’t have a gas line, since it uses much less energy than a conventional electric water heater.
When the fall starts, HVAC companies remind their customers that it’s time to have maintenance done for their heating equipment. Even Southern California can get the winter blues! But plumbers also ask their customers to arrange for maintenance as well, and it’s for a heating system that Californians need every day, no matter the weather: the water heater.
You certainly have a water heater serving your household’s daily cleaning, washing, and cooking needs. But you may not realize how much work this appliance does: it accounts for almost 40% of the energy used in most homes! That’s a huge chunk of your utility bills. A device this essential that works this hard needs special attention every year.
Where do you go for professional water heater maintenance? An expert in plumbing in Riverside, CA or wherever you live. It takes plumbers to deal with the special needs of a water heater.
If you are considering replacing your old, inefficient storage tank water heater this fall, first of all—good for you! No reason to keep a power-draining and unreliable old water heater around longer than necessary. Second of all, we recommend giving serious consideration to replacing it with a tankless water heater. You’ve probably heard about some of the great advantages of going with a tankless system: they cost much less to run, have lengthy service lives, take up little space, require fewer repairs, and best of all they won’t run out of hot water!
But we’d like to address that last benefit—because this is one of the big pluses of a tankless water heater system that will completely vanish if you don’t have the water heater installed professionally. Unless an expert plumber correctly sizes the water heater to match the demands of your household, you’ll end up with a tankless system that won’t be able to keep up.
Sweetwater Plumbing
12345 Mountain Ave Suite N,
Chino,
CA
91710
CA License # 889182
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