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Why Your Installer May Want To Move Your Water Heater

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When you have a water heater replaced, you typically expect your installer to pull the old one out and put another water heater in its place. Sometimes, this is how things go. But other times, the installer may put the new water heater in a different location from the old one. Why would they do this? Well, there are a few possible reasons.

The new water heater is taller than the old one.

If you have low ceilings in your basement or the area where your water heater is located, then the new tank may not fit in place of the old tank. This happens often when you decide to upgrade to a bigger tank. For example, if you had a 40-gallon tank but then had a 60-gallon tank installed instead, the 60-gallon tank may be too tall for the old spot. Sometimes, even tanks of the same capacity are of different sizes. Your old 40-gallon tank may have been short and squatty, while the new 40-gallon tank is taller and more slender. When the new tank does not fit, the installer will move it to an area where the ceiling is taller or there are fewer obstructions.

The new water heater has a different power source.

Are you changing from a gas water heater to an electric one? Or, maybe you're changing from an electric water heater to a gas one. When swapping power sources like this, a water heater installer may need to relocate your tank so it is closer to your power source. For instance, if you had an electric tank, it may not have been anywhere near the gas line. Moving it to be closer to the gas line will mean they don't have to run a really long gas line.

The new water heater has to be vented differently.

This happens with gas water heaters. They need to be vented to release heat and fumes. Your old water heater may have vented out a chimney that was shared with a furnace. But the new water heater may need to be vented out a smaller PVC pipe. The installer may need to put the new water heater in a different spot to accommodate the new vent pipe.

If your water heater installer puts your new hot water heater in a different location from the old one, do not be alarmed. If they do this, there is usually a good reason for it. 

For more information, contact a local company that offers hot water tank installations


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