Your Water Heater Will Work Hard This Winter

Here’s what you should know.

On any given day, your water heater has a big job. It works hard to provide your southeastern Massachusetts home with hot water for bathing, laundry, and washing the dishes. However, during the winter months, your water heater has to work even harder than it does the rest of the year.

The cold weather creates several conditions that make it harder for your water heater to generate hot water. Here are some of the winter-specific challenges your water heater faces:

1. Your basement is colder. Chances are your basement isn’t as warm as the rest of your home. If you have a water heater with a storage tank, that tank is most likely in a cold environment (your basement) that is cooling the water in the tank as it waits to be used. We in the industry call this “standing heat loss.” If the water in the storage tank cools beyond a certain point, your water heater has to reheat it to make sure hot water is available on demand.
2. Your water supply is colder. The water entering your home from your municipal supply is colder in the winter because the ground temperature and therefore the pipes it runs through are all colder. Your water heater must expend more energy to heat water during the winter months because the water’s starting temperature is lower, and so more heating has to be done to get it to the desired temperature.
3. You’re using more hot water. Most people take longer, hotter showers in the winter months without giving it much thought. Perhaps your bathroom temperature is cooler and so you crank the water up a bit hotter to compensate. Or you simply desire a hotter shower before you go out into the cold or after you’ve come in from it. Again, your water heater has to work harder to meet the hot water demands of your household during the winter months.

Don’t get caught in the cold. Make sure your water heater is up to the tough job it’s going to be called to do this winter. W. H. Riley & Son can help you with all things water heater related.

Make W.H. Riley & Son your resource for water heater installation, service, and repairs in southeastern Massachusetts. Whether you heat your water with propane, natural gas, or heating oil, we can handle the job for you. Click here to see if you live in our service area.

Contact W.H. Riley & Son today to learn more about the services we provide.