When it comes to mounting a tankless water heater, people are afraid of its complexity, however, today, it is a pretty easy process even if you do not have much experience. Either by finding a contractor or overlooking the guides online, the whole process won’t take much time. Here, you may learn the basics when you plan to install the unit on your own.
Installing Yourself or Finding a Contractor
Why is every expert continuously recommending finding a contractor from Contractorfinder? With a contractor’s help, you access a proper installation and maintenance of your unit which will lead to optimized energy efficiency. If still, you want to do everything on your own, stick to this article which researched all tips for you.
To start with, the actual mounting of your water heater largely depends on a few pillars including the fuel type, safety protocols, climate as well as building code. This information may be occasionally mentioned in the manuals for your unit. Afterward, the mounting depends on the actual indoor, electric, and outdoor types of installation. Let’s start with the indoor one.
Indoor installation of tankless water heaters is one of the most complicated ones since the unit must be vented. The venting should be either horizontal or vertical. Note, electric tankless water heaters do not need any venting, though they will largely need much electricity.
Outdoor units do not also need any venting, however, in their case, you will need much space around them for installation.
The first tip – Ensure you have a proper gas connection!
To install your unit, you should proceed either with finding a contractor or contacting your local gas provider to check whether you have a sufficient supply of gas coming to your house. If not, you should stick to other options.
Once the gas meter’s capacity for your household and heater is confirmed, determine whether the gas line is capable of supplying enough gas to the unit.
The second tip – Is your ventilation good?
Tankless water heater installation should be checked on the correspondence with the venting specifications. It means that heaters should vent the excess warm air which they actually create. Some units vent horizontally, while some vertically through a chimney, roof, sidewall among others. Note, the size of the opening for combustion air is solely based on the tankless unit’s Btu input. For instance, if the heater draws air from the indoor, 1 square inch of the combustion-air opening is required per every 1,000 Btu/h of the appliance. If the heater draws air from the outdoors, 1 square inch per 4,000 Btu/h is required. Without a knowledge of such nuances, it is hard to understand what ventilation is good for your particular case, hence, finding a contractor will help you understand it all.
The third tip – Ensure you know the exact tankless water heater installation cost.
Most units which are known as single-point ones are inexpensive both in purchasing and installing them. Whole house units are costly. The approximate cost for the installation is $2,000-$5,000. Nevertheless, it differs in every case, and by finding a contractor you access the full cost for all the works.
How to Start Tankless Gas Water Heater Installing?
The below-mentioned instruction is based on general recommendations. From case to case, and your type of water heater, they are subject to change. By finding a contractor, you may get to know in detail the whole process.
- Prepare all necessary lines including gas, wiring, and water ones. For electric units, you are most likely to require breaker box upgrades.
- Mount the heater. Decide on the area where you will place a heater. Most units can be installed on wall surfaces, however, they should have proper access to fuel and water lines.
- Connect the lines for gas units. Once you mount the unit, start inputting all lines. Hook up water lines, gas lines, and ventilation systems to get rid of exhaust fumes. Note, if you have an electric tankless hot water heater, you won’t need a gas line or ventilation.
- Connect to electricity. Connect the unit to your household electrical system. If fails, you should find a contractor or any other legit third-party help to deal with the issue.
That’s a pretty short version of installation for those who have a small idea about tankless water heaters. If you are a newbie and have never had a chance to install such units, finding a contractor may save you money and effort. Since water heaters are directly connected to electricity or work with the gas, such procedures may bear many risks, and you should not start them without third-party help.
Beyond that, by finding a contractor you are deprived of any power outage and leakages which are common when you replace the old unit with a new one. Many owners of private houses or apartments install their own water heaters. Now on the internet, there are enough video instructions and articles on how to install a water heater without special skills. At first glance, there is nothing difficult in installing a water heater. But if you are working with gas pipes, you may have problems. It is normal that a person does not have any skills. For this, there are professionals who are responsible for the work performed.
By hiring a contractor to install an electric or gas water heater, you disclaim responsibility for the result of the work done. During transportation or installation, the water heater may be damaged, which will inevitably lead to future damage. When installing a water heater by a contractor, a specialist will carry out a test and, after installation, check that all functions of the water heater are working properly.
Only then can you accept the job. If the water heater does not turn on or does not work correctly, the contractor will fix it on the spot. You don’t have to call the wizard again. In some cases, companies change a water heater for a new one if it cannot be repaired. If you install the water heater yourself, the warranty for your new water heater will not be valid. In order not to feel discomfort when solving new problems, trust the specialists who professionally do their job.
