Great question! A gas water heater has a typical life expectancy of 10-12 years while an electric water heater has a general life expectancy of 12-15 years. Again, these are just averages…many factors such as water pressure of the home and water quality (minerals/hardness)can determine how long a water heater will last.

Some cities and counties (not all) require that a water heater be installed with an emergency drain pan and thermal expansion tank. It is also good practice to install a ball valve on the incoming water line on the heater to ensure maximum reliability should you ever need to turn the water off. An emergency drain pan protects your floors and the area around the heater in the event that the heater ever begins to leak (hopefully in the very distant future). A thermal expansion tank is there to absorb the expansion caused during the water’s heating process. Even if you don’t think you “need” one, all manufacturers recommend them so, it is a great idea to have one installed. Ball valves, emergency drain pans, and thermal expansion tanks come with every tank-style heater installation we perform.

Another great question and the answer is: it depends! If you have had a tank water heater that has not been flushed in the last 18 months, there is probably little or no value in flushing it at this point. Flushing the water heater breaks up and flushes sediment that has settled at the bottom of the tank, once a couple of years have passed, there may be too much hardened sediment in the bottom of the heater for the flushing to make a significant difference.

The answer to this is almost always YES! Especially on a gas water heater. If you are altering the system in any way, you are required to have a plumbing permit. Luckily, special exceptions are made for water heaters when it comes to pulling the permits; you do NOT need to have them before work can be started like with most building permits. In the state of Virginia, a homeowner is allowed to pull their own permit for any work done in the home, so please ask us about that if you would like to go that route. A small administrative fee may still be applied for assisting you with this paperwork process and attaching our name and license to the project/home. Keep in mind, if we are pulling the permit for you, our fees are higher than the cost of the permit itself, as we have to take time to go into the permit office and apply for each permit in most counties in the area. These extra costs cover our administrative time and efforts.

If you feel there are any questions we missed and should address, please send them to info@mynewheater.com