When you think of heating systems in your home during winter, which one comes to mind first? Probably your furnace (or boiler, or heat pump)—whatever system provides warmth to the rooms to keep you and your family comfortable. This is the time of year when the heating system does the majority of its work.
Your water heater, however, also takes on a larger workload in winter. You may not have thought about this, because the water heater works 365 days a year. But there are a number of factors that place more stress on the water heater during winter. We want you to know this, because it means you’re more likely to need to call our plumbers for water heater repair in winter.
- The standing heat loss from the tank of a standard storage water heater is much higher in winter. Most water heaters are located in parts of the home that don’t receive direct heating, such as basements and garages. The cold air around the tank causes heat from inside to move faster to the outside, and the resulting drop in temperature in the tank will force the heating system to work longer. Ask us about insulating the tank can help with this.
- The water from the municipal system is colder when it enters the tank because it has lost heat through the pipe walls on the way to a house. The water heater must put in more work in order to heat up the colder water.
- The amount of hot water a family uses in general rises during winter. Hot showers are more likely to last longer on a cold morning, after all!
Keep a close watch on the behavior of the water heater and the temperature of the water you receive from it. If something seems wrong, call a plumber. If the temperature of your hot water drops, don’t turn up the temperature on the tank! This can lead to a scalding hazard.
To schedule service for your water heater in Cleves, OH or elsewhere near Cincinnati, call our offices. We have 24-hour emergency service available.
Serving Greater Cincinnati and the surrounding Tri State area since 1972: Ken Neyer Plumbing, Inc.