Sizing a tank
Most Newmarket households run on a 40 or 50 gallon tank. The right size depends less on the number of bathrooms and more on how many showers happen back to back in the morning. A family of five with teenagers may want a 60, or a high-recovery 50. A couple in a bungalow often does fine with a 40. We ask about your routine on the phone rather than guessing from the house size.
Venting types
- Natural draft: vents up through the chimney with the furnace. Simple and quiet, but needs a sound liner and good draft.
- Power vented: a fan pushes exhaust out through a plastic pipe in the side wall. Needs a power outlet nearby.
- Direct vent: draws combustion air from outdoor and vents through the wall, with no fan.
When a high-efficiency furnace replaces an aged one, the water heater is sometimes left alone in an oversized chimney. That can cause poor draft, and the fix is usually a liner or a switch to power venting.
Rental versus owned
Many homes in town still have rental tanks. Buying your own usually costs less over the life of the heater, but you take on repairs. If you decide to switch, the rental company must be contacted to arrange removal or buyout, and some contracts carry fees. We can install an owned tank and set the old one aside for pickup.
- Shut gas and water, drain the old tank.
- Set the new tank, connect water with new valves and a dielectric union.
- Connect gas, check for leaks, test venting and draft.
- Fill, light, and set the temperature near 49°C.
Signs you need this in your house
- Rust weeping at the bottom seam
- Tank over ten to twelve years old
- Water smells of sulphur with a corroded anode
- Repeated thermocouple failures
Questions people ask us
How long does the swap take?
Usually three to four hours for a like-for-like tank.
Do you take the old tank away?
For owned tanks, yes. Rental tanks stay for the rental company to collect.