Your furnace or boiler is tasked with keeping your northern New Jersey home warm throughout the long, cold winter, so it makes sense that it labors harder during this time of the year than any other.

But your home heating equipment isn’t alone in working harder during the winter months: your water heater does, too.

Water Heater Cold Season Use

Consider the challenges your water heater faces in winter compared to the rest of the year:

• A cold basement – If you own a conventional storage-type water heater, it holds hot water in a tank until it is needed for use. The problem is that the water in that tank is constantly losing heat to your cold basement. To make sure the water is hot when you turn on your tap or appliance, the water heater needs to reheat the water from time to time – which burns more fuel and causes your equipment to work overtime to do the same job.
• Colder incoming water – Another challenge your water heater has to overcome in winter is that water entering your home from the well or municipal supply Is colder (that is, it has a lower inlet temperature) – which means it takes more energy to heat the water than it does at other times of the year.
• Colder people – Most people take longer, hotter showers to warm up during the winter – which means more work for your water heater.

Of course, you can eliminate or substantially reduce the impact of these issues by switching to a tankless propane water heater, which instantly heats the water you need rather than storing it in a tank for later use.

If you can’t swing a water heater upgrade, be sure to get regular professional water heater maintenance to keep your equipment running as efficiently as possible.

Keep the hot water coming all winter long with expert water heater maintenance and water heater installations from the pros at Fredericks Fuel & Heating Service. Contact us today to learn more!