Water Heater Installation in Memphis, TN
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What a new water heater needs to handle here
Winter nights in Shelby County average 34°F from December through February, and homes here need heat from November through March. That five-month stretch means colder water coming into the tank, so a new water heater has to work harder to bring it up to temperature during those months than it does the rest of the year.
Power is part of the picture too. Twenty percent of Tennessee households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and the county has seen 15 winter storms and 195 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A tank with a standing pilot keeps making hot water through an outage. One with electronic ignition will not light until power is back. Whichever type goes in, it has to meet the federal minimum efficiency, which is set by a formula tied to the tank's rated volume, so the actual number depends on the size being installed.
- 34°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 5 months
- November through March, the months homes here need heat
- 20%
- of Tennessee 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 $280 a year to run in Tennessee compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Tennessee home, from EIA household energy data and Tennessee fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Most tanks last around 10 to 15 years, so age is the first thing to check. Look at the data plate near the top of the tank for the installation date. If it's rusty water coming from the hot side only, or you see moisture pooling at the base of the tank itself, that's the tank failing, not a fitting or valve. A water heater that's making popping or rumbling sounds has sediment built up on the bottom, which makes it work harder and can shorten what's left of its life. Any of these on their own is worth having a contractor look at before it turns into a leak.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on your current tank failing. A tankless unit heats water as it flows through, so you don't run out partway through back to back showers the way you can with a tank. It takes up less space too, since there's no tank to store hot water in. What it won't do is deliver more gallons per minute than its rating allows, so a house that runs several fixtures at once needs a unit sized for that. A contractor can look at your gas line, venting and hot water demand and tell you whether tankless makes sense for your house specifically.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is what's on the wall. A tankless unit mounts flat, usually smaller than a tank, and it needs its own venting run to the outside, which a stored tank may not have needed in the same way. Gas fired models often need a larger gas line than the tank they're replacing, because they draw more fuel while running to heat water on demand. A contractor sizing the job will check the gas line, venting path and electrical needs before quoting the install.