Water Heater Installation in Shawnee, OK
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What Shawnee winters ask of a new water heater
Winter nights here average 30°F from December through February, and most homes run their heat from November through April. That is six months where a water heater is drawing cold ground water into the tank and working harder to bring it up to temperature.
Oklahoma sees its share of power gone out and storms come through, 6 winter storms and 57 damaging wind events recorded across the county over the last ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep making hot water through an outage. One that depends on an igniter will not, until the power is back.
When you replace a tank, the new one has to meet a federal minimum efficiency, and that minimum is set by the tank's size and how the model figures a household draws hot water. A licensed installer will size the unit to your home and know which minimum applies.
- 30°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 6 months
- November through April, the months homes here need heat
- 25%
- of Oklahoma 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
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Watch for water around the base of the tank. That usually means the tank itself is rusting through, and once that starts it does not stop. Other signs are water that never gets fully hot, rumbling or popping sounds from sediment buildup, and a tank that is old enough to have outlasted its rated life. If a contractor has already repaired it more than once in the past year or two, replacing it costs you less trouble than another repair.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on whether your current tank has failed. A tankless unit heats water as it flows through, so you do not run out of hot water partway through back to back showers. It takes up less space than a tank and tends to last longer. Some homes need changes to the gas line or venting to install one, so a contractor needs to look at your setup before you decide.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that you stop storing hot water and start heating it on demand, so hot water does not run out the way it can with a tank. The unit itself is small enough to mount on a wall, which frees up the floor space a tank used to take. Gas fired tankless units often need a larger gas line and different venting than a tank did, and electric units may need more amperage than your panel currently supplies. A contractor can tell you what your home's gas line, venting, or electrical panel would need for the switch.