Water Heater Installation in McAllen, TX
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McAllen doesn't ask much of a water heater, but power does
Winter here is short. Heat is only needed two months out of the year, and even then, nights average 51°F, nothing close to freezing. A water heater in this county isn't fighting cold weather most of the year, and that's one less thing to plan around.
The bigger question is what happens when the power goes out. Wind is the main threat here, with 90 damaging wind events recorded over the past ten years, and statewide, a third of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot will keep working through an outage. One with electronic ignition, gas or electric, will not come back on until the power does, though most start up again on their own once it's restored. Worth knowing which kind you're installing before the next outage, not during it.
- 51°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 2 months
- December through January, the months homes here need heat
- 33%
- of Texas households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A heat pump water heater would save about $290 a year to run in Texas compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Texas home, from EIA household energy data and Texas fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Age is the biggest clue, so start with how old the tank is. If it's getting up there and you're seeing rust colored water, water pooling around the base, or hearing rumbling or popping from inside the tank, those point to sediment buildup or a tank that's failing from the inside. A unit that runs out of hot water faster than it used to is also telling you the tank or the burner isn't keeping up anymore. A contractor can check the tank and the anode rod and tell you whether repair still makes sense or whether you're past that point.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want from your hot water, not just your budget. A tankless unit heats water on demand instead of storing it, so you don't run out partway through a long shower or back to back loads of laundry, and it isn't keeping a tank of water hot around the clock. It also takes less space since there's no tank to house. The tradeoff is that a tankless unit needs the right gas line size or electrical circuit for its output, so switching from a tank often means some rework to the utility connections. A contractor can look at your gas line or panel and tell you what that would take in your house.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is the connections behind the unit, not the unit itself. A tankless heater needs enough gas flow or electrical capacity to fire its burner or heating elements at full output the moment you turn on a faucet, so the gas line often needs to be a larger diameter than what fed the old tank, or the electrical circuit needs to carry more amperage. Venting changes too, since a tankless unit vents differently than a standard tank and usually needs its own dedicated vent run. A licensed contractor, licensed through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, will size the gas line, the vent and the electrical connection to match the unit you choose.