Getting a new water heater is a great investment, especially if you’ve been sitting on an old model for a while. Since you’ll get a product with more modern features, you should experience fewer issues and interruptions with your water use. This makes it a more financially advisable decision, especially for homeowners living in much older homes.

While getting a new water heater is technically a better investment than requesting frequent repairs, it can still be a risky choice. Contrary to popular belief, your water heater can still cause problems if it’s installed improperly. For this reason, you must avoid potential complications that have more to do with your plumber than your heating unit.

Water Heater Installation Mistakes

Most homeowners get a new water heater to solve a recurring issue with their current model. Besides mechanical complications, the age of their water heater is a huge factor in getting a new unit. Although a newer unit shouldn’t have technical problems within its system, your plumber’s handling and installation can lead to performance issues down the line.

If you’re installing a new water heater, here are three installation mistakes you need to watch out for.

1. Compromised Relief Valves

Water heaters need to have a relief valve as a safety feature for regulating pressure and temperatures. Without it, there’s a risk of your chance to implode with an unregulated amount of hot water. This can ruin your brand-new water heater and cause scalding burns upon impact.

Once your plumber has to install a relief valve, remember to ask about its functions and give it a test run. Doing so will notify you if the relief valve works properly for later.

2. Dry Firing

Although it’s necessary to test your water heater’s components, you need to ensure that it has water inside before testing. Otherwise, the unit can run and compromise its heating elements and cause cracks in the tank. Keep in mind that dry firing can also occur even if the tank is half-filled. For this reason, it’s necessary to get your water heater’s tank full before requesting your plumber to give it a test run.

3. Incompatible Metals

Improper installation can also be due to material incompatibility. Pipelines are built from separate parts that have varying sizes and material types. Besides causing loose installation through inaccurate pipe sizes, the wrong materials connected together can cause damaging chemical reactions.

For example, it’s dangerous to connect copper pipes with steel nipples. Doing so will accelerate corrosion rates and lead to severe water leakages. This applies to your general pipelines and also to your water heater unit. If your plumber does not identify this issue with your plumbing’s material, you may need to get a replacement for your water heater sooner than later.

Conclusion

If you don’t have it installed properly, deciding to buy a new water heater will go to waste. Additionally, some installation mistakes can break your new unit altogether. This is why it’s vital to hire a reliable plumber for these delicate procedures. Thankfully, our team has a great track record of handling plumbing repairs, water heater installations, and more!

If you need a reliable plumber in San Fernando to install your water heater properly, we’re the right company to call. Contact us at 855-522-2638 and our veteran plumbers will attend to your home’s water heater installation needs!