Unless you happen to be a fan of ice cold showers, you’ll need a working water heater to supply hot water to your household. Whether your old heater is on its way out or you simply want to upgrade to a new, more efficient model, when it comes to water heater installation, you basically have two choices. You can either install your new water heater yourself and save some money on labor, or you can pay to have your new water heater installed by an HVAC professional. While the idea of adopting a “do it yourself” philosophy might be the more financially pleasant option of the two, there are actually a number of good reasons to go with the latter.
Patrick Dennis is the owner of Priority Aire Cooling and Heating, a Las Vegas company dedicated to serving all of its customers’ heating, cooling, and ventilation needs, and according to him, there are certain situations where installing a water heater is something that a homeowner can do himself. Anyone who is fairly handy and owns the right tools can attempt to install his own water heater provided that his major household plumbing systems are set up in a proper, uncomplicated fashion. However, since plenty of homeowners out there aren’t all that handy, and since most people aren’t able to get a good sense as to the overall quality of their household plumbing, in many cases, the best option for water heater installation is to hire an expert for the job.
As someone who installs standard water heaters on a regular basis, Dennis will be the first to admit that under certain circumstances, the job can be difficult. By paying a professional to install your new water heater, you can rest assured that any issues that might arise during the process will be handled in a safely. In other words, you won’t have to worry about flooding your home or starting a major household fire over the course of the job.
Another good reason to pay for water heater installation is that most people are unfamiliar with local city and township plumbing codes that must be adhered to throughout the installation process. HVAC specialists, on the other hand, are bound to be aware of such regulations since they’re forced to follow them on a regular basis as part of what they do. Additionally, in some cases, a permit is required in order to have a new water heater installed. A local HVAC professional will be familiar with area regulations and will be able to advise you as to what permits might be necessary for the job at hand. And under certain circumstances, an HVAC specialist might even be able to go out and do the legwork to obtain the permits for you so that you don’t have to spend your limited time filing and following up on paperwork.
One final reason to hire a professional for water heater installation is that by doing so, you’ll be protecting your new investment and minimizing your stress load in the process. An HVAC specialist who knows what he’s doing will be able to install your water heater in a manner that allows it to function to the best of its ability. And by taking a step back and letting an expert take over, you’ll be leaving yourself with little to worry about as far as the quality of work is concerned.
As tempting as it might be to save money by installing your new water heater yourself, this is clearly not always the greatest idea. Unless you happen to be extremely confident in your ability to do the job properly, you’re better off hiring an HVAC specialist to handle the matter for you. Remember, when it comes to water heater installation, what you’ll pay for in professional labor, you’ll save in reduced stress, aggravation, and margin for error.
