Is there anything worse than being mid-shower, hair lathered with shampoo, and suddenly having your showerhead blast you with ice cold water? Unless you’re trying to recover from a brutal workout, you’re not likely to crave an ice bath either.
When you turn on the faucet, you expect warm water to come out. If you’ve let a few gallons flow down the drain and the water is still cold, you might have a problem with your water heater.
From dishes to laundry to handwashing, we demand warm water all day long. Given a choice, it’s unlikely that anyone would give up their water heater for even a single day.
The System Behind Water Heaters
Your home plumbing system works similarly to your heart: one system of pipes brings fresh water into the house, and the second set of pipes brings wastewater back out of the house.
Pressured water from the municipal supply or a freshwater source comes into the home and is ready to use via the cold-water supply. When you turn on the tap for a cold drink of water in the summer, the water is already on-hand to quench your thirst.
Hot water has to undergo an extra step before it’s available for you to use. A pipe diverts from the cold-water supply and goes inside the water heater. Then, warm water flows out of the heater to the faucet that you’ve turned on.
The water that comes out of your bathroom plumbing is a mixture from the cold and hot water supplies. As you adjust the knobs on your faucet, the amount of cold and hot water in the mix changes until you reach your perfect temperature.
Water Heaters for Mobile Homes
Although water heaters for mobile homes function in the same manner as those for other houses, the specifications for the heaters are a bit different. Federal rules regulate which heaters are suitable for prefabricated houses and where in the home you can install the heater.
Mobile homes are typically smaller in size than other houses, so water heaters are available in sizes that suit tighter spaces. Short tanks are suitable for short spaces, tall tanks fit into narrow spaces, and regular size heaters are available if the area is unrestricted.
After a long day at work, everyone deserves to run a nice, hot bath, no matter where you live. Tight spaces may only allow for tanks with a smaller capacity, so your bath might use up all of the hot water. Before you wash the dishes or toss in a load of laundry, give the tank time to reheat the water inside.
Installing Your Own Water Heater
If your water heater isn’t functional, it can be very tempting to browse the Home Depot water heaters and try to do the installation yourself.
Home improvement stores are wonderful, we use them ourselves, but for something as involved and as essential as a water heater, you should seek out a professional.
If you don’t have experience replacing a water heater, a lot can go wrong. You may end up with leaks that lead to extensive damage, or you may not be able to properly reconnect the electrical wires to the tank, which would render the heater useless.
When you hire a professional, you’ll get an efficient, quality installation. At Premium Plumbing and Septic we guarantee our work and will come back to tune-up the water heater after the installation if necessary.
If your water heater died and left you in a compromising situation, tell us about it! And don’t forget to call us right away the next time you have a problem.