Water Heater Installation in Texarkana, AR
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What a new water heater needs to handle here
Winter nights in Miller County average 36°F from December through February, and homes here need heat from November through March, five months a year. A water heater in a garage or utility space feels that cold too, and it works harder those months than it does the rest of the year.
Power is the other thing to plan around. Nearly a quarter of Arkansas households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024, and the county has seen 6 winter storms and 57 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, gas or electric, won't light until the power is back. Whatever gets installed, it has to meet the federal minimum efficiency for its size, and that minimum is set separately for each tank volume rather than as one number for every water heater.
- 36°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 5 months
- November through March, the months homes here need heat
- 24%
- of Arkansas 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 $290 a year to run in Arkansas compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Arkansas home, from EIA household energy data and Arkansas fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Age is the first sign. Most tank water heaters last about a decade, and once you're past that a repair is just delaying the same decision. Rust colored water from the hot tap, rusting at the fittings, or water pooling underneath mean the tank itself is failing, and a tank cannot be repaired once that starts. Popping or rumbling sounds mean sediment has built up on the bottom, and while flushing helps early on, heavy buildup shortens what's left of the tank's life. If it's leaking or the tank is rusted through, replacement is the only real option.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want from it, not on age or a breakdown. A tankless unit heats water only as you use it, so you get endless hot water and nothing wasted keeping a tank hot when no one's home. It's a bigger job than swapping one tank for another, since venting and gas or electric supply usually need to change to match what the new unit requires. A licensed contractor can look at your home's setup and tell you what switching would actually involve.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The unit itself is smaller and mounts on a wall instead of taking up floor space, which frees up the closet or utility room it used to sit in. Venting changes too, since tankless units need venting sized and routed for their exhaust, which is different from what a tank used. Gas fired models often need a larger gas line to deliver enough fuel for the burner to heat water on demand, and electric models may need a bigger electrical circuit. Because of these changes, installation involves more than disconnecting the old tank and hooking up the new one, and a contractor will need to check the gas, electric and venting before quoting the job.