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What Does Getting A Water Heater Replacement Look Like? | Myrtle Beach, SC
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There are many steps to getting your water heater replaced in your house and when you call around Myrtle Beach, SC for a contractor to do water heater replacement you may want to make sure that you have a base level understanding of what is going to happen so you can be partially prepared and for the experts to come in and take care of the problem. We’ll go over the main steps as well as the materials they may use to get the job done.
The Materials And Supplies
First, we’ll go over the parts and pieces you’ll need for water heater replacement, which will start with the obvious and go from there. Then, we’ll go over the major unit and what’s inside of it, the water heater itself. You’ll have to make decisions when it’s time to replace the unit in your home, whether you’re going to go the traditional tank route or use a tankless or alternate heating system. Tank water heaters are generally less expensive but they will take up space which can come at a premium in some homes and setups. From there you will also have to decide if you are going to go with electric or gas. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but most people will replace what they had previously.
If you go with a tank for your water heater replacement, the more traditional option, you might be interested to know what’s going on inside. There are just over a dozen major parts to a tank water heater. These include the external pieces like flue pipe, which vents out exhaust gases, the cold water shutoff valve which allows you to stop water flow from your supplier if you need to service your unit, and the draft diverter which in a gas unit helps keep your pilot light from being blown out. There will also be a relief valve and overflow pipe in case something goes wrong with the unit you’re putting in as well as a hot water outlet.
Usually, when you call for water heater replacement you have to go inside the unit to figure out what’s actually wrong and that can be expensive, difficult, or outright impossible. Some items inside the unit however include the anode rod which helps stop corrosion, the dip tube, which sends cold water to the bottom of the tank to ensure that your water heater is being properly circulated and heated, insulation around the tank to help it keep its temperature. If you are using a gas heater you’re also going to have a gas supply valve and a burner to heat up the tank and if you have an electric unit a series of elements will be used.
What about a tankless water heater though? Well, there are fewer total parts in a tankless heater but they are all interconnected. You have a burner and gas valve feeding a heat exchanger in a gas version but you’ll swap some of that for an electric heating rod into the heat exchange. You’ll have all of that locked up in a box that runs water lines through it and an exhaust vent above to get the extra heat sent out of the house. The tankless units save a lot of space and have a lot fewer parts but may not be as efficient at heating water up as traditional tank units depending on your use.
Some of the other materials that may be used during a water heater replacement job will include a discharge pipe so that you can set up a drainage system for your new water heater and bring it up to a modern code. There will also be multiple fittings needed to ensure everything is closed together and sealed. You may need to purchase a pressure relief valve separate from a water heater depending on the model you purchase. There will also be venting pipe connectors to get exhaust out of your house.
Finally, there is a chance you will want to know what tools are used during water heater replacement projects. These include some things you may see quite often in your Myrtle Beach, SC house like safety glasses, screwdrivers, wrenches, a tape measure, and electrical tape. But there will be more specialized items in this bunch as well that will be brought to the table including specialized waterproof plumbers tape, a soldering torch and solder along with it, a specialized pipe wrench that will make the job easier, a tube cutter, a wire stripper, and a voltage tester will all likely be used in the job of getting the unit replaced.
How Long?
Well, the good news is you now know what all you should expect to see when your water heater replacement appointment time comes but exactly how long will it take? Depending on the contractor, the location of your water heater, and factors to hooking up the water heater into the spot where your current unit is. If your unit is the exact same size and construction style, which is not impossible but builds change all the time, it could take a good team just a few hours to drain, swap, and hook up a new unit. If there are complications due to you getting a different size of heater or complications hooking it up you could be looking at a full day to get a new unit installed.
When you’re ready to get a water heater replacement in your home, give the experts at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Myrtle Beach, SC a call. They service the area and offer all kinds of plumbing services above and beyond simple drain cleaning and single-day water heater replacement. Give their experts a call or give them a visit online to see current offers, set up an appointment, view their list of services, and more. The Benjamin Franklin Plumbing family will gladly help you get the results you want from any plumbing issue you have.