Water Heater Installation in Tooele, UT
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A tank that has to work eight months a year
Tooele County homes need hot water for heat from October through May. Winter nights average 20°F, and a new water heater has to recover fast enough to keep up through the cold months, not just the mild ones.
The federal minimum efficiency for storage water heaters isn't one number. It's set by the tank's rated volume, and it's applied differently depending on how the household draws hot water. Two tanks of the same type, sized differently, can face different minimums. A contractor sizing your installation has to work from your tank size and your household's draw pattern, not a single standard figure.
- 20°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 7%
- of Utah households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A heat pump water heater would save about $320 a year to run in Utah compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Utah home, from EIA household energy data and Utah fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Look at the age first. Most tanks last eight to ten years, and if yours is near or past that, a failure isn't far off. Rust-colored water, a tank that's damp or wet around the base, or a pilot that won't stay lit are all signs the unit is failing rather than just aging. If it's making rumbling or popping sounds, sediment has built up on the bottom, and that shortens what's left of its life. Winters here run cold for months, so a tank on its way out is worth replacing before it fails rather than after.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on whether one is simply better. A tankless unit heats water only when you open a tap, so it doesn't run out the way a tank can when several people shower back to back. It also takes up less space and tends to last longer than a tank. The tradeoff is that a tankless unit needs a contractor to check your gas line size and venting before installation, since it draws more gas at once than a tank does. That's a house-by-house question, so a contractor will need to look at your setup before saying yes.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water no longer runs out. A tank gives you a fixed amount and then you wait for it to reheat. A tankless unit heats water as it flows through, so as long as it's sized right for your home, you can run the shower and the dishwasher without one going cold. The venting is different too, since a tankless unit needs its own dedicated vent rather than sharing a flue. The gas line and electrical hookup often need to be checked or upgraded as well, which is why a contractor needs to look at the house before installation rather than after.