All of our employees here at Water Heaters Only, Inc. Phoenix are great and when we received stellar review after stellar review for our technician Don… well, we just had to shout out about it!
Please watch the video below to hear all about Don’s outstanding work with hot water heaters in the Phoenix area.
There are a few things Phoenix homeowners really should know and how to turn off the gas and water to your water heater is one of them. In case you smell gas, there is a water leak, or your water heater isn’t acting as usual, it might be a good idea to be educated in how to turn off the gas and water to your water heater before major problems arise. Some people won’t allow their water heater to be placed inside their home just because they know if it does leak and they don’t know how to stop the water or it leaks when they are away, it can do thousands of dollars of damage to their floors. The water and gas can be shut off from the water heater itself, which shuts off all the gas and water going to it or the gas and water supply can be shut off from the house completely from the meter and stopcock. Knowing both ways to shut off the water can really be helpful and also save you thousands of dollars in damage in case of a leak. Follow the steps below on how to turn off the gas and water to your water heater.
1. Look for a single handle valve that would usually be located at the bottom of the unit about a foot or two out. The valve will usually look like one in the image below.
2. Turn this valve in the clockwise position to turn the gas off.
Shut off main gas:
If you can’t get the gas valve to turn, can’t find the gas valve, or if there are any other problems there is a second option.
Finding the street-side shut off valve is usually pretty simple. It is located right next to the gas meter hat is found on the exterior of the house as shown below. The valve is on when it is parallel to the incoming gas line. When the valve is turned a quarter turn so that it is perpendicular, then the gas line is closed. This valve can only be opened and closed with a wrench.
Every appliance that required water to it has a shut off valve usually within a few feet of the appliance. To find the water heater shut off valve for the water look
on top of the heater for a handle that will look closely to the one in the image below.
To turn the water off, turn this handle clockwise until it stops. If for some reason you cant get the handle to turn, cant find the handle, or if you have any other problems, there is a second option which is to turn the water off to the whole house.
A stopcock controls the water to the house, which is a valve that can turn off and off the water to the whole house. A stopcock can either be a handle or it will look like a metal valve with a metal flange and they can be in really unusual places especially in Phoenix but most often they are located together with a water meter under a hatch near the street. If you cant find where your stopcock is located, contact your water company for guidance. If the stopcock is a handle it will need to be turned clockwise until it stops or if it is a metal valve with a metal flange in which you will need to use a pipe wrench to turn it a quarter of a turn to turn the water off. The water supply should now be closed off but remember that there will still be water in the pipes that will need to be drained.
If you need additional assistance in Phoenix on how to turn off the gas and water to your water heater Call Water Heaters Only, Inc at (602) 253-8010 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Specializing in water heater, since 1968 allows us to provide superior water heater services no matter what type of water heater problem you have. Let us give you peace of mind when it comes to your water heater.
We got a phone call about an 80 Gallon electric water heater leaking in Phoenix and the homeowner wanted to know exactly how much a replacement would be. He had called other companies that had given him an exact cost to replace the leaking water heater and they wanted to scheduled the installation right away. Water Heaters Only, Inc offered a free onsite diagnosis and estimate to repair or replace the unit.
Our technician arrived at our scheduled appointment time to hopefully repair the 80 gallon electric water heater. It was leaking from one of the elements and the homeowner had no hot water. The homeowner was hoping the 80 gallon electric water heater could be repaired. However, after accessing the situation it was clear the 80 gallon electric water heater would have to be replaced. The tank had rusted through where the elements screw into the tank and it was leaking internally, there was no way to repair the water heater.
The homeowner had already done a little shopping around, but didn’t mention the water heater was in the basement down a flight of stairs or that there was another water heater right next to it that shared the plumbing. If we had given the homeowner a price over the phone, it would have changed after we arrived on site because of the location and plumbing. Having additional access and plumbing issues usually effects the cost of a water heater installation and it’s hard to take these situations into consideration when giving a price over the phone. Always be careful of exact prices given over the phone, usually they will changed once the company is at your home.
Our technician checked the plumbing to see what the installation would entail to make sure the new unit could be installed to code and there would be no issues with the existing plumbing connected to the secondary water heater. After thoroughly accessing the situation we presented the homeowner with our bid. He was pleased with the price and was happy that he was not told one price over the phone and then a different price once we were onsite. He did his homework and called the other companies back while we waited and mentioned the downstairs location and shared plumbing with a secondary water heater. The companies told him the price would increase significantly, but now they couldn’t give him a total without sending someone out. On top of that, most of the companies quoted a trip fee if they were not hired for the installation.
Water Heaters Only, Inc still believes honest business practices are the best business practices. Even though sometimes we might sound a little more expensive over the phone. When it comes to the actual final onsite price, we are most often the lowest.
The homeowner agreed to our installation price and we got to work installing the new 80 Gallon electric water heater. Our technician figured out the best way to get the old 80 gallon electric water heater up the stairs without causing any damage to the home. Older water heaters can fill up with sediment and be very heavy. After 53 years in business we take pride in our work and always do our best to limit the possibility of damage when removing a water heater.
Once the water heater had been removed it was time to clean the area, prep for installation and install the 80 gallon electric water heater. Our technician cleaned the platform, installed a water heater drip pan with a drain pipe, re-piped the hot and cold water lines and re-piped the temperature / pressure safety overflow pipe. Once the water lines were replaced our technician re-connected the new plumbing to the circulation pump system and re-wired the electrical to the tank.
Needless to say our technician left the area cleaner than when he arrived. Our customer was extremely satisfied with the entire process. Even though replacing a water heater is not the most enjoyable event at Water Heaters Only, Inc we work with our customers schedules and provide excellent service to try and make the situation the best experience possible.
Electric water heaters come in a variety of sizes including: tall, medium and short heights. Whether you need a 20 gallon, 30 gallon, 40 gallon or 50 gallon electric water heater, you can find each in a tall medium or short model. This is very convenient when your water heater is tucked under a stairway, under a counter or in another tight-fitting location within the home. Point of use electric water heaters are a great option for studios, guest areas and smaller living spaces where a unit can easily be installed if there is a water connection, then they can be plugged into an nearby outlet in a wall. These types of units come in quite handy when you only need a small amount of hot water a few times throughout the day and you do not want to heat an entire tank of water continually.
Electric water heaters do not have a venting system and can hold there heat longer than natural gas water heaters that have baffles and venting where heat can more easily escape.
Most Electric water heaters start with a efficiency rating of .85 or above. This means they are energy efficient and store the heat inside the tank very efficiently.
While electric water heaters have high efficiency ratings, due to the cost of electricity, they are more expensive to operate than natural gas water heaters. They cost anywhere from 20%-50% more to operate that a gas water heater depending on the current energy prices and the current prices for natural gas.
Electric water heater have a slower recovery rate than gas water heaters, not matter what the size the recovery generals stays about the same. This can lead to problems of running out of hot water and having to wait quit dome time for the water heater to re-heat. We have had customers that will move into a new residence and call stating they have a water heater problem. Often they complain of running out of hot water. We will run a through diagnosis, including a tub test on the existing water heater to find there are no problems with the unit. In most cases we find out during the conversation the customer, they recently moved into the residence and used to have a gas water heater at there previous home.
When it is time to replace your water heater, as a “rule of thumb” we typically recommend replacing the unit with a “like for like”. This mean the same type, gallon and BTU’S if for some reason you want more hot water, you can always see if an upgrade is possible. However if you are building a new home and have the opportunity to select and size what ever water heater you want, do a bit of research and planning to make sure you choose the best type and style unit for your lifestyle.
If you have questions or would like additional information contact us to speak with a water heater expert 24 hours a day (602) 253-8010 you can also read more about electric water heaters and look up specs for the different manufacturers models at our main website site www.waterheatersonly.com.
One of the most common questions that we are asked is, can you do a hot water heater repair?
As long at the water tank has not burst, the simple answer is yes. Most often a hot water heater repair is possible. Depending on the age, it is not always the most cost-effective long term solution.
With newer style water heaters and all the new safety standards we notice an increase in water heaters shutting down or going into “lock out”. New hot water heaters are generally designed to have safety shut-offs and filters for lint dust and oil. If the unit overheats or if it does not have enough air flow for the “safety mechanisms” it will shut it’s self down. Depending on the brand and type of safety device, sometimes homeowners can not relight or restart the unit. There are a few brands however where a licensed professional will be required to service the water heater before it can be restarted.
Hot water heater repair can range from something as simple as cleaning out the air filter at the bottom on the combustion chamber to the more complicated replacement of control valves, burner assemblies or other parts. With the life expectancy of water heaters averaging 8-12 years if your water heater is older than eight years, you want to think before you spend too much money on a hot water heater repair. We always recommend reviewing the owners manual and checking to see if there is simple maintenance that a homeowner can preform to get the water heater working again before contacting a service company for a hot water heater repair. If you have no hot water and there is no maintenance to be preformed or you prefer to have a service technician preform the maintenance for you then it is time to call for a hot water heater repair. It’s always a good idea to find your model number and serial number on the brand name label on your water heater. The model and serial number can verify warranty and give details about your water. Look for the brand name sticker on your water heater and you should see a model #( a string of letters and digits) and serial # (also a string of letters and digits). Write these numbers down, if you can and have them handy for your technician when you call.
Common Brands of Water Heaters Include:
A.O. Smith
American (Whirlpool)
American Standard
Bradford White
Rheem (GE, RUDD, Hot Point)
State (Kenmore, Craftmaster)
High Efficiency Gas Water Heaters are becoming more popular as more products become available and energy costs continue to increase. At Water Heaters Only, Inc we offer a wide range of high efficiency gas water heaters. New products like the Vertex (TM), by A.O. Smith offer annual savings on operating costs and can be usually be installed where the existing water heater is located.
Most high efficiency gas water heaters are more expensive upfront that traditional tank style units, but over the lifetime of the appliance you can end up saving money. Not all manufacturers use the same type of technology for high efficiency gas water heater. The Vertex unit by AO Smith uses condensing technology to heat the water. It reuses the heat from the gas burner to heat the water before the fumes are exhausted; this helps use less gas to heat the same amount of water.
Water Heaters Only, Inc likes to offer our customers many options when it comes to water heating. There are many different high efficiency gas water heaters available, including tankless and hybrid units. Most of the time we recommend the unit that will work best for the type of home our customer has. A tankless unit might be right for one customer, but a condensing unit might be best for another. At water heaters only, inc we can provide information and recommendations on what type of high efficiency gas water heater might be right for you household. We understand being without hot water is never any fun. That’s why our service is available 7 days a week with no extra change for nights, weekends, or holidays. You can also call (602) 253-8010 24 hours a day and speak with a live water heater expert to help with any water heater issue.
Rated 4.8 Out Of 5 Stars