How to pick out and install a new hot water heater

A hot water heater is the demand of every modern day home and when it is planned to buy a new water heater for the home, the alertness for choosing the right thing comes into picture automatically. How to pick out and install a new hot water heater is a very important question and needs to be addressed with ease of mind and needs some time to be spend before crashing in the nearest shop and buying the first cheapest water heater.

Before picking a hot water heater there are some estimates to be made. The buyer should be aware of the peak hot water consumption of his home. This will enable him to choose the right hot water heater that can take the full load of the peak hour demand of the house. This is called as First Hour Rating (FHR) and is pinned to the hot water heater. The efficiency of the water heater is also what matters, as this will decided the operating cost of the unit.

Second most important thing to consider is the cost involved and economy of operation. The cost of electricity and gas are souring high, so every drop of hot water counts. A judicious strike is to be made for selection of the type of hot water heater. There are many types of water heaters available in the market, primarily electric, and gas water heaters and for nature lovers the solar water heaters. The electric and gas water heaters are a constant source of expenditure on electricity and gas whereas the solar water heaters run free of cost, provided you get plenty of sunlight. So the decision is to be made to converge on one of the following based on the requirements and applicability. The constraints for gas water heater are the air supply and vent gas exhaust, which needs only some specific places for installation. The constraints for the solar water heater are the availability of sun and a large roof area for installation. And the constraint for the electric water heater is the amount of hot water it can deliver in the peak hours.

Third thing for choosing the water heater is the quality and operation life. Based on this entire criterion one should pick up a water heater. Once the water heater is chosen the installation of the water heater is equally important and should be done by a professional contractor.

While installation of water heater there are certain point to be born in mind. The heater should be accessible for inspection and maintenance. Some space should be left vertically and on top of the heater. For gas water heaters attention is to be given to the place of installation as there should be proper input air for proper combustion of the gas, else with improper combustion poisonous gases are produced that can be fatal. Also proper arrangement is required for proper exit of the exhaust gases. Proper safety devices like pressure vent valves and expansion tanks should be provided to accommodate the increase in volume of water due to expansion of hot water. Proper tubes should be chosen that could carry the hot water, normal PVC pipes should not be used for carrying the hot water.