Water Heater Installation in Dallas, OR
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Nine months of work a year, and storms that cut the power
Polk County needs hot water from October through June, nine months of the year. Winter nights average 35°F. A new water heater here spends most of the year working, not resting.
Power is the other thing to plan around. Twenty percent of Oregon households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and the county has seen three damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps making hot water when the power goes out. An electric tank will sit cold until the power comes back, and it will come back on by itself once it does. The size tank you choose also matters here. The federal minimum efficiency a new water heater has to meet is set by its rated volume, so a larger tank and a smaller one aren't held to the same number.
- 35°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 9 months
- October through June, the months homes here need heat
- 20%
- of Oregon 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 $390 a year to run in Oregon compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Oregon home, from EIA household energy data and Oregon fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Age is the first thing to check against the tank's rated life, since most storage tanks have one printed on the label or coded into the serial number. Rust colored water from the hot tap, a tank that's damp or wet at the base, or water that never gets as hot as it used to are all signs the tank itself is failing rather than just one part. A popping or rumbling sound usually means sediment has built up on the bottom, which makes the unit work harder and can shorten what's left of its life. If the tank itself is leaking, rather than a fitting or valve on it, that's not something to repair. It means the tank needs to be replaced.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- That depends on what you want from the switch, since a tankless unit doesn't run out of hot water but it also doesn't store any. It fires up on demand and heats water as it flows through, so it keeps up with one shower after another instead of drawing down a tank. A storage tank keeps a set amount hot and ready, and once that's used up, you wait for it to recover. A tankless unit also takes up much less floor space, which matters if the current tank sits somewhere tight. The tradeoff is that a tankless system has its own gas and venting requirements, so a contractor should look at the space and the home's gas line before you decide.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The gas line and venting are the biggest changes, because a tankless unit draws more gas the moment it fires to heat water fast enough to keep up with the tap. Where the unit goes changes too. A tankless heater mounts on a wall, usually near an outside wall for the vent, rather than sitting on the floor the way a tank does. If the home's gas line and venting aren't already sized for it, that work has to happen as part of the install. A contractor will need to look at what's already there, the gas line, the venting, and the electrical, before pricing the job, since that determines how much has to change.