The hot water heater plays an obvious central role in your home plumbing, heating up gallons and gallons of water for showering, bathing, and washing your laundry and dishes. And yet replacing or  installing a hot water heater is not only one of the most physically challenging but one of the most potentially dangerous repairs you can make around the home. Installation often requires permits and certification that only a professional can bring to the job. All water heaters involve the meeting of electricity and water, or natural gas valves that can leak into your home. An improperly installed heater can be disastrous or even deadly to you and your family. 

Even if you have a hot water heater installed already, you'll need to inspect and perform maintenance on it often. If you notice water pooling around your heater, you may have a tank leak that opens when the metal heats up, or a leaky pipe or connection. If the hot water coming out if your heater is rust colored, either your tank or pipes may be corroded. The knocking noose you sometimes hear from an old heater is a result of sediment hardening in the tank, which can lead to hairline cracks in it. Any of these issues means you need to get a professional to replace your hot water heater. 

​Improperly installed hot water heaters can also lead to other problems, including water leaks and improper venting, which is also potentially deadly if you have a gas water heater that releases carbon monoxide into the air. And installing a hot water heater can lead to serious burns if any excess water gets in your way. You should also let a professional help determine what kind of water heater works best for you -- the traditional tank kind, the increasingly popular tankless variety, a hybrid that gets assistance from an electric heater, or even a solar variety. Contact us for a friendly and licensed professional plumber who can help you make your decision, install your heater, and help it have a long and useful life. ​