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Water Heaters

There are many options available for heating your water these days: Tankless, tank type, hybrid, and solar. The question becomes which one do you choose? That’s where we come in. Our technicians spend over 400 hours a year training so that we can be educated enough to help YOU choose the right one to invest in. A water heater‘s average life span is seven to ten years. In Florida it is even worse with the hard water we have! The products we carry are the best in the market. We outshine all the products sold in big bix stores and our professionals are the ones to install it. Your water heater can account for more than than 25% of your electric bill. So before investing in a water heater, ask yourself if you should take advice from the hourly guy at the big bix store, advice from a neighbor, or have a professional from Meares Plumbing advise you on your best option?
When its time to invest in a new water heater call the experts in water heating technology at Meares Plumbing!

 

There are basically 4 types of water heaters:

 
  • Tank type water heaters- This technology has been around over a hundred years and hasn’t changed much in that time. It is the least expensive up font cost but the MOST expensive to operate (standard tank type water heaters DO NOT qualify for ENERGY STAR). Think about all the energy it takes to keep that tank of water at 120 degrees all day everyday. And to think you still run out of hot water!
  • Tankless water heaters- This technology has been around a while and is a great way to heat water. Gas tankless water heaters qualify for ENERGY STAR. They cost a little more up front but a lot less over the life of the heater. Tankless technology heats water only when a hot water item is opened. So when you are not using hot water, your water heater is not using energy. This technology can save you thousands of dollars that are getting flushed down the toilet!
  • Electric tankless- Has the same thought process of gas tankless but is less energy efficient and does NOT qualify for ENERGY STAR. There are some practical applications for this but we do not recommend this for most applications.
  • Hybrid water heaters- This technology is farely new but has proven to be an excellent way to heat water. It is a tank type water heater with a heat pump on top. It uses the ambient air to heat the water and the byproduct is it blows 68-75degree air out! This saves you on your water heating bill and you’re a/c bill! If you have electric and not gas this is by far the way to heat your water. Hybrid Water Heaters are ENERGY STAR qualified.
 

Solar water heating

 

For the cutting edge of technology a energy efficient Solar Heater is a top choice! Their solar collectors are installed outside the home, typically on the roof or nearby. Nearly all models are the direct-gain type, consisting of flat panels in which water circulates. Other types may use dish or trough mirrors to concentrate sunlight on a collector tube filled with water, brine or other heat transfer fluid. A storage tank is placed indoors or out to collect the heated water. Circulation is caused by natural convection or by a small electric pump. At night, or when there is insufficient sunlight present, circulation through the panel can be stopped by closing a valve and/or stopping the circulating pump, to keep hot water in the storage tank from cooling.
Meares Plumbing uses Solene Solar hot water systems that take advantage of Chromagen solar panels and A.O. Smith ProMax booster tank.