You can buy a standard or tankless water heater at any big-box hardware store, but that doesn’t mean installing it is a do-it-yourself job. In order for a water heater to meet basic earthquake and carbon monoxide safety regulations, it must be installed by a professional. Water heaters have to be strapped down properly with pressure release lines; otherwise, they become hazardous in the event of an earthquake. Also, in order for water heaters to burn and vent properly, their carbon monoxide levels must be regularly checked. Both of these things are incredibly important—you don’t want to risk your family’s health just to save a few hundred dollars.

If you already have a water heater installed in your home and just need it serviced, make sure your plumbing contractor performs a complete inspection of the entire system before doing any work—not only to diagnose immediate problems, but also to discover latent problems that may arise in the future. The technician should also inspect any equipment to be installed and ensure it’s not damaged. Little things like that make the difference between simply doing the job and getting the job done right.

If your water heater uses gas, make sure your plumbing contractor takes regular carbon monoxide readings to ensure the appliance is burning and venting properly. Carbon monoxide leaks are serious health hazards, so whenever your water heater is being serviced, you should ask the contractor what the monoxide numbers are and what they mean.

To find a Diamond Certified plumbing company in your area, click one of the links below.

Alameda County: www.diamondcertified.info/alameda-plumbing
Contra Costa County: www.diamondcertified.info/contra-costa-plumbing
Marin County: www.diamondcertified.info/marin-plumbing
San Francisco: www.diamondcertified.info/san-francisco-plumbing
San Mateo County: www.diamondcertified.info/san-mateo-plumbing
Santa Clara County: www.diamondcertified.info/santa-clara-plumbing
Santa Cruz County: www.diamondcertified.info/santa-cruz-plumbing
Solano County: www.diamondcertified.info/solano-plumbing
Sonoma County: www.diamondcertified.info/sonoma-plumbing

One Response

  1. Annika Larson says:

    We are looking at having a new water heater installed in our home. Our old one is just no longer efficient. As you said, correct installation is important for health and safety. We will be sure to have a professional install our new water heater for us. Thanks for sharing!

Leave a Reply