Water Heater Installation in Murrysville, PA
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Your water heater works a long season here
Murrysville homes need heat eight months a year, October through May, with winter nights averaging 23°F through the winter. A new water heater has to hold up through that stretch, not just a few weeks of it.
The county also sees storms that knock out power, 29 winter storms and 441 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and 15% of Pennsylvania households lost power for at least a day in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps making hot water through an outage. One with electronic ignition, and any electric model, won't come back on until the power does. Whichever you install, it has to meet the federal minimum efficiency set for its size and type, a threshold that changes with the tank's rated volume.
- 23°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 15%
- of Pennsylvania 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 $400 a year to run in Pennsylvania compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Pennsylvania home, from EIA household energy data and Pennsylvania fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- If your water heater is old and starting to act up, it's worth planning a replacement rather than waiting for it to fail. Watch for water that takes longer to heat, a tank that's rusty at the fittings, or water with a metallic smell. Rumbling or popping sounds mean sediment has built up on the bottom of the tank, and that gets worse over time. Any water pooling around the base is the clearest sign, since that usually means the tank itself is leaking and repair isn't an option.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- That depends on what you want out of it, not on any rule that says you should. A tankless unit heats water only when you call for it, so you don't pay to keep a tank of water hot around the clock, and it won't run out partway through a long shower the way a tank can. It also takes up less space and tends to last longer than a storage tank. The tradeoff is that installing one often means changes to the gas line, venting, or electrical supply, since a tankless unit has different requirements than the tank it's replacing. A contractor can look at your setup and tell you what switching would actually involve.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The unit itself is one of the biggest changes. A tankless heater mounts on the wall and takes up a fraction of the floor space a tank does. Because it burns gas or draws power at a higher rate to heat water instantly, it often needs a larger gas line or a dedicated electrical circuit, and the venting is different from what a tank uses. Some homes need those upgrades and some don't, so a contractor will need to look at your gas line, electrical panel, and venting before giving you a straight answer on what's involved for your house.