Category: Water Heaters

Has the Time Come to Replace Your Water Heater?

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This water heater, too, shall pass!

There’s no such thing as “the only water heater you’ll ever need.” Any appliance that does as much work as a hot water heater—and the one in your house probably runs every day, four seasons a year—accumulates large amounts of wear and tear. Proper maintenance can lessen how fast a water heater runs down, but the day will come when an owner must make the decision to stop having it professionally repaired and instead have it professionally replaced.

If you’re asking the big question in the heading, we’d like to help. The best way to get our help is to call our plumbers for a consultation and inspection. Before you do that, we can provide you with some guidelines to help you think about whether you ought to replace that water heater.

Age is the first consideration

Water heaters can sometimes last more than 20 years, and tankless units tend to fall on the longer service lifespan spectrum. Once a water heater is more than 15 years old, it needs closer observation for signs of it wearing down, losing efficiency, requiring more repairs, etc. We strongly recommend replacing any water heater in service for more than two decades.

Corrosion? Bad news!

Water heaters are designed to resist corrosion for many years: they have glass lined interiors and a sacrificial anode rod that draws corrosion away from the rest of the system. Age, however, can allow the gnawing of corrosion (and the word corrosion is derived from the Latin word “to gnaw”) to start taking bites out of a water heater. When you see corrosion on your water heater, it almost always means it needs replacement. (Watch out for discoloration in your hot water, since it points toward a tank that’s corroded out from the inside.)

The water heater’s performance has been dropping

Is the water heater simply not doing the job it used to? If people in your home are actually eager to get up earlier and earlier so they can be the first people into the showers and not get stuck with a lukewarm shower, you may have a dying water heater. Repairs can only do so much, and when “so much” is “not much at all,” it’s replacement time.

Leaks, leaks, leaks

The only place on a water heater where you should see leaks are from the pressure relief valve. This valve releases a small amount of water to regulate pressure in the tank of a storage water heater. Water appearing anywhere else around the system is a repair need. If those leaks are common, the water heater may be in a final decay.

For a Columbia, MD, plumber with the experience necessary to determine the best step for your old water heater, you only have to call us. We work with tank, tankless, and heat pump water heaters, and can handle any type of repair or replacement.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the service contractor of choice for Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Speak to our experts today for water heater replacement advice.

Things to Consider for a Heat Pump Water Heater Installation

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Time to get a new water heater. No, this isn’t as exciting as “time to get a new flat screen UHD television and pre-order the 50th anniversary 4K Blu-ray of 2001: A Space Odyssey.” (Seriously, who isn’t excited for that? Have you ever seen the film in a crystal clear large format? A-MAZ-ING.) However, getting a new water heater is one of the most important things you can do for your home since you use hot water every day and a good portion of your monthly utility bills goes toward powering the water heater.

Now that you’re thinking of getting a water heater, you may be considering a heat pump water heater rather than a conventional model. This technology may be new to you, so let’s look closer at some of the facts of heat pump water heaters to think about.

The potential savings

A heat pump water heater works similarly to the familiar tank water heater: water is stored in a tank and energy is applied to raise the temperature of the water to keep it ready for use. The difference is that where a standard water heater creates energy to heat the water through gas jets or electrical heating elements, a heat pump water heater uses refrigeration. How does that work? It’s a refrigeration system working in reverse. Instead of pumping heat out of space, it pumps heat into space. The heat isn’t created, it’s moved from the air outside the water heater and then released into the water.

This process of moving heat consumes less power than creating heat. In theory, you should spend less to power a heat pump water heater. According to the ENERGY STAR program, a large family can save $3,500 over the unit’s lifetime. The savings depend on what type of water heater you used before. Changing from an electric water heater to a heat pump water heater is usually a huge improvement. Going from natural gas to a heat pump might not be as significant a change.

A heat pump has special requirements

Not every home is right for a heat pump water heater installation, and this is why it’s crucial to work with professionals to ensure the new system is a good match. A heat pump water heater needs to be placed in an unoccupied space with sufficient room (around a thousand cubic feet of air, or a 12’ by 12’ space) for it to access the heat it needs. It cannot be placed in an area that grows extremely cold in winter such as an unheated garage. The ambient temperature should fall between 40° and 90°F around the year for the water heater to work efficiently.

Call water heater professionals

We’d love for you to experience the benefits of a heat pump water heater, but we also want you to have the right water heater to meet your needs. When you’re planning for a water heater installation in Gaithersburg, MD, contact our team and they can help you out. Tell them you’re interested in a heat pump unit, and they’ll see what can be done. No matter what type of unit you end up with, our professionals will see that it fits your budget, helps lower costs, and delivers the volume of hot water you need.

Install the best new water heater for your home with the Service Contractor of Choice: Mallick Plumbing & Heating.

How a Tankless Water Heater May Malfunction

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We often recommend the installation of a tankless water heater to our customers who are looking to have a new water heater system put in, either as the first water heater for a house or as a replacement for an aging tank water heater. There are numerous advantages to using a tankless water heater, such as lower energy bills, longer equipment life, and unlimited hot water supply.

Another advantage of tankless water heaters is that they encounter fewer repairs on average than storage tank water heaters. This is because they don’t deal with the stress of water stored in a tank and the continual need to use energy to keep the water heater. A tankless water heater simply does less work, and that means it doesn’t wear down as fast.

But … tankless water heaters may still encounter repair needs that will require calling on a professional plumber.

What Can Go Wrong with a Tankless Water Heater?

  • Low water pressure. A tankless water heater moves water from the hot water line through a heat exchanger, where heat from the gas jets is transferred into the water. Deposits inside the heat exchanger can cause the outlets from the tankless system to become clogged. If you notice low water pressure coming from your hot water faucets, these clogs might be the reason. The most common cause of these deposits is hard water. You’ll need technicians to clear out the obstructions, and you should probably have them install a water softener for the house to prevent further problems.
  • Leaks in the heat exchanger. A tankless water heater can develop leaks inside the heat exchanger. When this happens, the escaping water will put the system in danger of corrosion. A corroded water heater almost always needs to be replaced. If the tankless water heater doesn’t properly vent out exhaust gases from the heat exchanger, it can cause the heat exchanger to corrode, and this can be potentially harmful to your house. At the first indication of corrosion on your tankless water heater, call for repair professionals.
  • Gas ignition problems. A tankless system can also fail in the ways that a standard gas-powered water heater or furnace can fail. The gas jets can become dirty and fail to ignite fully—or ignite at all. If the electronic ignition system breaks, the water heater won’t come on and you’ll end up with no hot water at all.

What to Do If Your Tankless Water Heater Has Stopped Working

No matter what issue you start to encounter with your tankless water heater, you must have licensed professionals handle any fixes. The majority of tankless systems run from natural gas, and only certified technicians should work with any appliance connected to a gas main. This ensures that the repairs are done safely and correctly. If the technicians discover that the tankless water heater is past the point where repairs will do much good, they’ll arrange to have the unit replaced.

To schedule water heater services in Rockville, MD with trained and licensed plumbers familiar with working with water heaters, look to us! We’ll do the job at a fair price and on time.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating, Inc. is the Service Contractor of Choice for Maryland, Virginia & D.C. Call us today at (301) 804-6759.

Proper Sizing for the Best Water Heater

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Here’s a question consumers often ask when it comes to purchasing a new residential water heater: how large a system is necessary? People want to be sure they have a water heater that will regularly meet their daily requirements, but they don’t want to spend more than necessary on a water heater that’s too large and may end up wasting energy.

It’s a balancing act to find the ideal size water heater for your specific circumstances. The easiest way to do it is to let the professionals handle the job. You must have professionals to install the system—it’s way too large and complex a task for either amateurs or as a DIY project—so it’s best to have them with you from the start to select the type of size of water heater that’s ideal for you.

Some of the basics of determining water heater size

We’ll show you a bit of what goes into the proper sizing for a water heater. Like sizing a heater or air conditioner for a home, sizing aims for a “sweet spot” of a system that’s large enough to meet demand, but not so large that it is inefficient. This is why no licensed plumber recommends a consumer impulse buy their own water heater and then call a professional to install it.

  • The first-hour rating: For a tank or heat pump water heater, the first-hour rating is the number of gallons of hot water the heater can supply per hour if it starts with a full tank of hot water. This is the first rating professionals look at since it combines a number of other factors such as tank capacity, the energy source (either gas burners or electric heating elements), and how much heating power it has.
  • Peak hour demand: This is the hour during the day when you use the hottest water, and how much hot water demand there is during this time. The professionals will work with you to make calculations based on how many people are in your house and what time of day the hottest water is used. For the majority of homes, peak hot water use is in the morning when people are showering. This number is used to determine the best first-hour rating. So if your peak hour demand is 40 gallons, the best match for a water heater would have a first-hour rating of 38 to 42 gallons.
  • Maximum temperature rise at given flow rate: If you are going to have a tankless (“on-demand”) water heater installed, the calculations are different since these water heaters do not store water but heat it up as it’s needed. The professionals must determine the flow rate and the temperature rise necessary for the whole house. This requires determining the number of hot water appliances/taps that might be in use at one time, then adding up how many gallons per minute they use. This determines the flow rate. Subtracting the incoming water temperature (the temperature of the water from the municipal supply) from the desired output temperature determines the maximum temperature rise. Once the professionals know these numbers, they can accurately size a tankless water heater for a home.

This sounds complicated, but we’re professional with experience handling water heater installations. We offer excellent service for water heaters in Bethesda, MD, and the surrounding areas.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating Is the Service Contractor of Choice in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Should I Turn up the Water Heater Temperature?

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Although you rely on your water heater throughout the year, probably every day, it does more work for you during the winter. On a chilly morning, a hot shower feels better than ever—and it can also be a wonderful relief to soak in a hot bath at the end of the day.

So what do you do if the water heater isn’t as warm as it should be? The simple answer would seem to be an adjustment to the thermostat for the water heater (which is called an aquastat). The default temperature for most water heaters is 140°F, although homeowners often lower it to 125°F or 120°F to help conserve energy. If you’ve lowered the temperature during the rest of the year and wouldn’t mind having it back up to the default, then it’s fine to put it back to 140°F.

However, if the reason you’re thinking of raising the aquastat is that the water heater’s performance has dropped, you’re putting yourself at risk of scalding hot temperatures!

Don’t go above 140°F!

Whatever you do, don’t raise the aquastat’s temperature higher than the default setting of 140°F. Above this temperature, the water can rise to potentially scalding levels. An aquastat isn’t as precise with temperature control as an HVAC thermostat. Due to a situation called thermal stacking, the water at the top of the water heater’s tank can rise to extremely high levels and enter the plumbing. Putting the aquastat higher than 140°F makes scalding a serious risk.

Losing hot water is a reason to call for repairs

Even if you don’t turn the aquastat above 140°F, please don’t try to compensate for a faltering water heater by raising the temperature setting. You’re not only creating a scalding risk, but you’re also putting a possibly malfunctioning water heater under greater stress. The system needs licensed plumbers to look into it to discover if it either needs to be repaired or replaced.

To arrange for service for your water heater in Gaithersburg, PA, from repairs to a full replacement, contact our heating and plumbing professionals.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice!

A Tankless Water Heater Also Needs Occasional Repairs

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The tankless water heater is a fantastic invention. Although the first tankless systems for heating water were invented more than a hundred years ago, the innovations that allowed them to become cost-effective for homes is a recent development. But those innovations have made a tremendous difference. A tankless water heater uses much less energy than a standard storage tank water heater, it won’t run out of hot water, takes up less space, has a longer service life, and runs into few repairs.

Of course, a tankless water heater isn’t magic. Even with the best regular maintenance service for one, it can still run into malfunctions and even a full system breakdown. Let’s take a look at ways a tankless system might run into troubles requiring the help of professionals to fix.

Leaking and corrosion

Anytime you have water, you have the potential for leaks. A tankless water heater is at less risk than a storage tank system because water moves rapidly through the heat exchanger of a tankless system and doesn’t create the same type of pressure. But the pipes in a tankless system can develop leaks, and when that happens, water is likely to drip down on the gas jets in the heat exchanger—and this creates corrosion danger. Corrosion is extremely damaging to the heat exchanger, and it may cause the computer system in the water heater to shut the system off. If you see any water dripping from the tankless unit, call for repairs before corrosion becomes a major issue.

Hard water problems

Hard water in household plumbing can create big trouble for a tankless system. The minerals in hard water will create limescale inside the heat exchanger, starting to close off the passage of water through it. This will cause a loss of efficiency and may even inflict permanent damage to the water heater. If you detect a drop in water pressure from the hot water taps in your home, mineral build-up might be the problem. Repairs will descale the water heater, but we recommend you look into attacking the root of the problem by installing a water softener. (This is also a service we provide.)

Poor ventilation

For gas-powered tankless water heaters—the most common kind—venting out exhaust gases is just as important as with any other natural gas appliance. The hot exhaust must escape fast from the small tankless system, and this can be difficult if the ventilation tubes are too long or twisted. What will happen in this case is the computer system of the water heater will trigger a shutdown as a safety precaution. If your water heater stops like this, you’ll need to have technicians look into the venting to discover what needs to be fixed.

When it comes to water heaters in Bethesda, MD and throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, the people to contact for service are the ones on our staff. We provide full repairs and replacements for tankless and standard storage tank water heaters.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating Is the Service Contractor of Choice in Silver Spring, MD, and the Surrounding Areas.

Tankless Water Heaters Will Need Occasional Repairs

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A tankless water heater is an excellent option for modern homes: they can keep up with the demand of the majority of households (provided they’re sized correctly), cut down on energy bills, and won’t run out of hot water the way standard storage tank water heaters do. We are proud to offer top quality installations of tankless water heaters in Bethesda, MD and throughout our wide service area.

A special advantage of tankless water heaters is that they require fewer repairs over their lifetime on average than storage tank water heaters. That doesn’t mean no repairs, however! Any type of water heater can encounter problems that require the assistance of professionals to fix. We’ll take a look at some potential water heater malfunctions below.

The trouble with the burners

The most popular type of tankless water heater is a natural gas-powered model. There are electric models, but they cost much more to run. A gas-powered tankless system has to use burners just like a tank system. The difference is the burners apply heat to water moving through the tankless system, rather than to a standing water supply, and the burners only come on when there’s a demand for water. The burners can become dirty and clogged, which will cause them to have trouble firing, and you’ll notice this by a drop in hot water temperature in the house.

Corrosion

Corrosion is an enemy of all systems that have metal and water in contact. A tankless water heater is less likely to corrode than a storage tank system, but if the pipes start to leak, corrosion can start up. If the corrosion develops too far, the whole system may need to be replaced. This is why it’s crucial to act on any leaks you might notice with the water heater.

Hard water problems

The water from a tankless water heater moves through small holes, and this can cause problems if there’s a build-up. It will lead to a drop in water pressure, followed by no hot water at all. The prime concern is hard water minerals building up in the system. You’ll need to have the water heater cleaned out, but we also strongly recommend installing a water softener to eliminate the problem at the source.

Poor venting

Gas-powered water heaters must vent out combustion fumes safely from the system. If a water heater has poor ventilation, acid condensation will start to develop inside the heat exchanger and quickly ruin it. Poor venting is also a potential safety risk. However, this problem is unlikely to occur… as long as the water heater was professionally installed to have the right sized venting.

Failed heating element

This applies to electric tankless water heaters. If the heating element burns out, there’s no heat to apply to the water. You can find online guides about how to fix this on your own, but we strongly advise against it! Call professionals to ensure the work is done accurately.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice in Silver Spring, MD and throughout Montgomery County.

How to Know You Need a New Commercial Water Heater

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There are few commercial buildings that can get along without a water heating system, even if just for their bathrooms. For many enterprises, the water heater is an essential component, such as in restaurants and throughout the hospitality industry. Commercial water heaters must be reliable, powerful, and have the water volume necessary to handle the needs of the building.

Eventually, all the strain placed on a commercial water heater will wear it down past the point where standard repairs and regular maintenance can do anything to reverse the deterioration. At that point, you’ll need the water heater (or one of the water heaters if your building relies on multiple ones) replaced.

Knowing When It’s Time for a New Commercial Water Heater

You don’t want to replace a water heater before its time since that’s a waste of money. Pay close attention to indications one of the water heaters is beginning to fail, and then call on our plumbers for an opinion. They’ll examine the system and give you honest advice about the best step to take: repairs or a replacement.

These are major warning signs you may have a dying water heater:

  • A drop in hot water volume – Are parts of your business running out of hot water too early? If the water heater was professionally installed, you shouldn’t encounter insufficient amounts of hot water to meet your needs; this is something professional installers are extremely careful about. So when it seems your business can’t get enough hot water, it points toward a dying water heater.
  • Humid conditions in the water heater room – If you walk into the room where the water heater is stored (we recommend doing an occasional check like this) and notice it feels humid when it shouldn’t be, it’s often warning that the water heater has leaks somewhere. Make a visual check if there’s water around the tank unit and if there is you need to call for professionals right away. If the water heater is leaking because of corrosion, it’s best to replace it.
  • Discoloration in the water – Have you heard reports from people in the building of reddish discoloration when the hot water comes on? This indicates corrosion starting up in the tank or a build-up of sediment. Sediment can be flushed out, but a corroded tank usually means the water heater is finished.
  • Rumbling sounds – When making those checks, pay attention to the noise the water heater makes. It shouldn’t make much noise at all, so when you hear something like a rumbling noise coming from it, this often indicates problems like limescale inside the tank. Often the tank will need to be replaced.
  • Basic age – Check the warranty on the water heater, which will give you an idea of how long it should last. If the water heater is over its manufacturer’s service life estimate, it’s time to start looking for a replacement before the system turns inefficient and develops a high risk of a breakdown.

We provide commercial plumbing for Bethesda, MD throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. We have built our company on the principles of honesty and integrity, and you can count on us to provide the best advice for your company’s continued success.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice for your commercial and residential plumbing needs.

Can a Tankless Water Heater Keep up with My Household?

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We love tankless water heaters! We think they are a great option for homes looking to replace an aging storage tank water heater with something that will help cut down on their heating bills, save space, and provide an unlimited supply of hot water. When you consider that the water heater accounts for the largest portion of heating power in your home, going with a system that significantly cuts down on energy consumption can mean a large reduction in monthly utility bills. A tankless water heater installation may cost more than a storage tank water heater, but it will pay for itself in a few years.

However, tankless isn’t a perfect choice for every household. Although tankless water heaters technically cannot run out of hot water since they are designed to always heat up more water on demand, they can be overwhelmed with demand when there are multiple taps or appliances on at once. If your household has multiple showers on during the morning, or different hot water-using appliances are running at once during the day, you may encounter a tankless water heater that begins to lose efficiency.

Professional sizing for tankless water heaters

Tank water heaters are rated by storage capacity. Tankless water heaters are rated by maximum temperature rise possible at a given flow rate. To find a water heater matched to your house requires knowing the flow rate and temperature rise necessary to provide hot water to your household without interruption.

If your response to the above is “But I don’t know that!” you don’t have to worry. This is why you always want to rely on water heater professionals to handle the installation job. You can rely on our team to find the right unit of a tankless water heater in Gaithersburg, MD to match your household’s day-to-day use so you can enjoy the full benefits of this excellent appliance.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Contractor of Choice.

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