Water Heater Installation in Murfreesboro, TN
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Rutherford County asks a lot of a water heater
Winter nights here average 31°F from December through February, and that is the temperature of the water coming into the tank before it starts heating. A new unit has to bring that water up to temperature every day, on top of everyday hot water use.
Power is part of the picture too. In Tennessee, 20% of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and Rutherford County has seen 9 winter storms and 137 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One with electronic ignition does not light until the power is back.
Whatever size tank goes in, it has to meet the federal minimum efficiency set for that size. The standard is not one number, it is a formula tied to the tank's rated volume, so a larger tank and a smaller one face different minimums even if they are the same type.
- 31°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 7 months
- October through April, 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?
- The clearest sign is age, so check the label on the tank for the manufacture date if you don't already know it. A tank near the end of its life starts showing it. Rusty water from the hot tap, rust on the tank itself, or water pooling underneath all mean the tank is failing and none of that can be repaired. Rumbling or popping sounds mean sediment has built up on the bottom and the unit is working harder to heat the same water. Running out of hot water faster than you used to is another sign it's on its way out.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want from it, not on whether your current tank failed. A tankless unit heats water only when you open a hot tap, so it isn't holding a reserve or losing heat while it sits idle. That means it won't run out the way a tank can, but it does have a limit on how much hot water it can deliver at once, so two showers and a washing machine running together can stretch it thin. A contractor can look at your home's fixtures and hot water use and tell you whether tankless fits how the house actually uses it.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water gets made as you use it instead of stored ahead of time. There's no tank sitting full and ready, so you won't run out the way you can with a tank, but the unit can only deliver hot water up to its rated flow rate. Tankless units are smaller and mount on a wall, which frees up the space the old tank used to take. The unit works in short, harder bursts rather than holding a steady tank, so the gas line, venting, or electrical supply feeding it often needs to be sized differently than what the tank used. A contractor can tell you what your home's existing lines can support and what would need to change.