What a Tankless Water Heater Installation Involves
A tankless water heater is a different kind of installation from swapping one storage tank for another. The unit heats water as it flows through, so it has to be matched to the home's gas or electrical supply, its venting, and the amount of hot water the household uses at once. Here is how a Blackburn Plumbing tankless installation in Topeka works, from the first visit to the years after.
1. The assessment comes first
Before anything is ordered, we look at whether your home's plumbing and electrical systems can support a tankless heater. A unit the house cannot feed properly delivers lukewarm water and an upgrade nobody is happy with, so this step decides the model, the fuel, and the location. Older homes may need electrical or gas line upgrades before a tankless system makes sense, and we tell you that up front.
2. Gas line, venting and water connections
A gas tankless heater draws more gas at full output than most storage tanks, so we check that the line can deliver it and resize it when it cannot. Tankless units also vent differently, so the exhaust route is planned as part of the job, and the water connections are set up so the heater can be flushed and serviced later. Gas work is done by a Licensed Master Plumber under the required permit and pressure-tested before it goes into service. Learn more about our gas line services.
3. Sizing the unit to your household
Tankless heaters are sized by how much hot water you need at the same moment, not by tank gallons. Two showers running while the dishwasher fills is a very different load from one bathroom in use. We count the fixtures and appliances you run together, account for how cold the incoming water gets in a Kansas winter, and recommend a unit that keeps up in January, not just in July.
4. Planning for hard water
Minerals in Northeast Kansas water deposit inside a tankless heat exchanger over time, and that scale is behind much of the noise, pressure loss, and temperature swings people report on older units. We plan for it at installation so routine descaling is simple, and if your home has hard water throughout, our water filtration and softening services protect the new heater and the rest of your plumbing.
5. Replacing an older tankless unit
Replacing a tankless heater that has aged out is its own job. We select the replacement unit, then check the existing gas, venting, and water connections rather than assuming they still suit the new heater. We install and service all major tankless brands, including Navien, Rinnai, and Rheem.
6. After the installation
With proper maintenance, a tankless water heater can last up to 20 years or more, compared with 10 to 15 years for a traditional tank. That maintenance is mainly descaling on a regular schedule, which our tankless repair and maintenance team handles, or you can set it up through a maintenance agreement. To schedule an installation assessment in Topeka, call 785-260-0299.
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