Water Heater Installation in Tahlequah, OK
Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Cherokee County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
What a Cherokee County winter asks of a water heater
Water heaters work harder when the water coming into them is cold, and here it is cold for months at a time. Winter nights average 30°F from December through February, and a tank has to make up that difference before anyone gets hot water at the tap.
Power doesn't always stay on through a storm. Oklahoma saw a quarter of households go at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and this county has logged 9 winter storms and 58 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will relight on its own once gas is flowing again. One that needs power to ignite will not, and that is worth knowing when you are choosing a replacement. Whatever you install, it has to meet the federal minimum efficiency set for its size and type, a figure that changes with the tank's rated volume rather than being one number for every heater.
- 30°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October 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
A heat pump water heater would save about $250 a year to run in Oklahoma compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Oklahoma home, from EIA household energy data and Oklahoma fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- The clearest sign is water on the floor around the tank. Once the tank itself is leaking, that's the steel lining failing, and there's no fix for that, only replacement. Rusty water from the hot side, a tank that's making rumbling or popping noises, or hot water that runs out faster than it used to are all signs the tank is wearing out. Tank water heaters have a normal service life, and once yours is past its prime and starting to act up, it's worth having a contractor look at it before it fails on its own.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on your old tank failing. A tankless unit heats water as it flows through rather than storing it, so it doesn't run out of hot water the way a tank can when several showers happen back to back. It also takes up much less space than a tank. What it won't do is deliver hot water instantly at the faucet. The water in the pipe between the unit and the tap still has to be pushed out first, same as with a tank. A contractor can tell you whether your home's gas line or electrical service can support the unit you want, since that varies house to house.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that a tankless unit needs more gas flow or electrical capacity at the moment it's running than a tank does, because it's heating water on demand instead of keeping a tank warm all day. That can mean upgrading the gas line size or adding electrical capacity, depending on the model. Venting is different too. Tankless units typically vent through a smaller pipe than a tank's flue, and where that vent exits the house may change. A contractor will need to check the existing gas line, electrical panel, and venting path before installing one, since all of that factors into what the job actually involves.