Water Heater Installation in Farmington, MO
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Farmington asks a water heater to work seven months of cold
From October through April your water heater is working against real cold, with winter nights averaging 25°F from December through February. Water coming into the tank starts colder and takes more energy to bring up to temperature, and it does this for seven months straight, not just a few weeks.
Power doesn't always stay on through it. Missouri saw 19% of households lose power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and the area has recorded 7 winter storms and 54 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep making hot water through an outage. One that depends on electronics to fire will not, until power comes back. Whatever you install, the federal minimum efficiency it has to meet isn't one number. It's set by a formula tied to the tank's rated volume, applied separately across four different draw patterns, so two heaters of the same type can answer to different minimums depending on their size.
- 25°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, the months homes here need heat
- 19%
- of Missouri households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A heat pump water heater would save about $270 a year to run in Missouri compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Missouri home, from EIA household energy data and Missouri fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- The clearest sign is age. Most tank water heaters are built to last a certain number of years, and once yours is old enough that a repair would only buy a little more time, replacing it is the better move. Rusty water, a tank that's leaking or sweating at the base, or water that won't hold heat the way it used to are all reasons to stop repairing and start replacing. If your unit sits in a basement or utility closet near anything a flood would damage, don't wait for the leak to make the decision for you.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on your current heater failing. A tankless unit heats water on demand instead of storing it, so you get a steady supply without a tank running out mid-shower. It costs more upfront than a like-for-like tank swap, and some homes need changes to the gas line or venting to support one. A contractor can look at your setup and tell you what that would take in your house.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water no longer runs out. A tank heater stores a fixed amount and refills as it's used. A tankless unit heats water as it flows through, so a long shower or back to back loads of laundry won't drain it. Installation usually means new venting sized for the unit, and often a larger gas line or a dedicated electrical circuit depending on the model. Space needs change too, since a tankless unit mounts on a wall instead of taking up floor space.