Water Heater Installation in Florissant, MO
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What a Florissant winter asks of a new water heater
Winter nights here average 26°F from December through February, and homes need heat from October through April, seven months of the year. A water heater in a house like that is working most of the year, not just through a short cold spell.
Power is part of the picture too. Missouri saw 19% of households go at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and the area has logged 108 damaging wind events and 9 winter storms over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot stays lit through an outage. One with electronic ignition will not run until power comes back. Federal efficiency minimums for storage water heaters are not a single number either. They are a formula based on the tank's rated volume, applied differently across draw patterns, so the minimum that applies depends on the size you choose.
- 26°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?
- Age is the first thing to check. If your water heater is old enough that you don't remember installing it, that alone is a reason to have it looked at. Look for rust colored water from the hot side, a tank that's damp or weeping around the base, or a pilot and burner that won't stay lit. Popping or rumbling from the tank means sediment has built up on the bottom, and that shortens what's left of its life. If the tank itself is leaking, that's not a repair, that's a replacement, since a cracked tank has no fix.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want from your hot water, not just on your current heater's age. A tankless unit heats water as it flows through rather than storing it, so you don't run out during a long shower, but it also won't buffer a sudden draw the way a big tank can. Gas line size, venting, and where the unit goes on the wall all matter for a tankless install, more than they do for swapping a tank for a tank. A contractor can look at your house and tell you whether the switch makes sense for how your household uses hot water.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water is made on demand instead of stored ahead of time. That means no tank to run out, but it also means the unit needs enough gas flow or electrical capacity to heat water at the rate you're using it. Venting is different too, a tankless unit needs its own vent sized for that unit. Because of that, a tankless swap is usually more involved than a tank for tank replacement, and where the new unit can go on the wall may not be where the old tank sat.