Fall and winter water heater tips from Optimized Plumbing & Piping Sonora, Ca

Its that time of year when we start getting calls from people with burnt out heating elements on their electric water heaters. Whether you are a full time resident who has drained down your water lines while out of town, or have a cabin you drain down to prevent freezing this post will help you to prevent dry fired heating elements in your electric water heater. If you have a gas water heater or tankless water heater it is a good reminder to maintain the water heater to preserve the high efficiency because of the colder water this time of year. Call us for maintenance, service or new water heater installations. 209-352-4294

The steps to draining down and refilling and starting electric water heaters is mixed up frequently and often causes burnt heating elements and service calls that would not be needed. Here are some tips:

Before draining down water lines turn off the electricity to your electric water heater this will prevent the burnt element at drain down

Once the power is off shut off the main water shutoff valve

With the water shutoff open the drain valve, and open all faucets, shower/ tub valves etc.

If you have a shower diverter open that too, to prevent trapped water in the shower riser

Flush all toilets (Some places will also require some care for drain lines, and I will write another blog post about these soon)

To refill the system when returning:

Shut off the drain valve

Open the main water valve

turn off the faucets and shower valves

run water through the hot water lines until all air is out. You will get some blast of air, then air and water, and then a steady stream of water.

turn on electricity to the water heaterMany people forget the bleeding of the air from their water lines, and the air that is trapped in the water heater moves to the top of the tank and has nowhere else to go until you open the hot water line to bleed the air. Turning on the electricity before the air is bled causes an element at the top of the tank to turn on and without water to take some of the heat will burn out quickly and not heat the water. This is called a dry fire, and requires replacement of the heating element.

Hopefully this helps you prevent the inconvenience and cost of a burnt out element. If you are in need of plumbing service in sonora ca or surrounding areas please call 209-352-4294

Sonora Ca plumbing Contractor explains:

New water heater requirements go into affect April 2015

The NAECA (National Appliance Energy Conservation Act) is requiring improvements for energy efficiency on water heaters starting April 16 2015. This is leaving property owners wondering what this will mean for them when their inefficient water heater needs to be replaced. Below you can find what changes will be made and how they can affect your next water heater installation.

For help deciding which water heating option is best for you call us at 209-352-4294.

Increased insulation thickness of 2″ or more

Expect your new storage tank type water heater to have more insulation to improve it’s efficiency. The extra insulation around your water heater will probably make it 2″ or more in diameter, and 2″ or more in height. This will make areas where the water heater barely fit before unusable for the new water heater, or could just require more labor for the installation which will add more to the cost.

Biggest changes for water heater installations in Sonora Ca over 55 gallons

A new electric water heater over 55 gallons will probably need to be the new hybrid electric heat pump style. This is because the efficiency requirement is raising from around .86 to around 1.97 for most models of electric water heater over 55 gallons. Expect this to add well over $1,000 to the cost of a standard electric water heater. The costs can be offset not only by savings from the extra efficiency (about 2X as efficient), but many electric companies are offering rebates of around $500. The hybrid electric heat pump water heaters are much larger than standard electric models and may require changes to the installation area. They also work like a refrigerator in reverse (instead of keeping the inside cool and blowing heat out the bottom, they keep the heat in the water and push the cool air to the surrounding room.

A new gas water heater over 55 gallons will most likely need to be a condensing unit which will cost more not only for the water heater but also for changes that will need to be made for the venting, and possible condensate.

Tankless water heater requirements

New tankless water heater installations will need to use units with an energy factor of .82 compared to the current standard of .62. This won’t make much of a difference for our customers because the condensing tankless water heaters we have been installing have an energy factor of .97 which is much higher than even the new standard. These high efficiency models have been a big draw because of the higher cost of propane to heat water compared to areas that use natural gas. But with the changes in standard tank style water heaters and the higher cost of installation we expect even more customers to see the value in spending a little more upfront to get the most energy efficient models.

What is an energy factor?

Basically the energy factor is the percentage of energy that is used and converted into hot water. A energy factor of .97 means that 97% of the energy used is converted to hot water. You’ll notice that the hybrid heat pump water heaters ratings are much higher than even the most efficient gas tankless water heaters. This doesn’t exactly mean the cost of heating is lower because you are comparing two energy sources that have different costs. The rates of electricity and propane would need to be factored in to find the lowest cost.

Optimized Plumbing and Piping is a Sonora, Ca based plumbing contractor who provides plumbing service and repair, residential and commercial plumbing for new construction and remodel, and hydronic heating and radiant heating in Tuolumne, Calaveras and Stanislaus counties.

Call Now 209-352-4294

Fall and winter water heater tips