Water Heater Installation in Lexington, SC
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What a new water heater needs to handle here
Winter nights here average 36°F from December through February, and homes need heat from November through March. That is not a hard freeze, but it means a water heater in an uninsulated garage or crawlspace works harder for those five months than the rest of the year.
The bigger factor is power. Lexington County has recorded 325 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 45% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps making hot water through an outage like that. One with electronic ignition, gas or electric, comes back on by itself once power returns, but not before.
Whatever gets installed has to clear the federal minimum efficiency for its category. That minimum isn't one number. It is set by a formula tied to the tank's rated volume, applied separately across four draw patterns, so two tanks of the same type can face different minimums depending on size.
- 36°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 5 months
- November through March, the months homes here need heat
- 45%
- of South Carolina 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 $300 a year to run in South Carolina compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical South Carolina home, from EIA household energy data and South Carolina fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Watch for water pooling around the base of the tank. That usually means the tank itself is rusting through, and no repair fixes that. Other signs are water that never gets fully hot, rumbling or popping from the tank, or the unit being 10 years old or older. If a storm here knocks out power for a stretch, an older heater is also more likely to have trouble recovering once power comes back on, so age matters more than it might seem.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on your current heater failing. A tankless unit heats water only when you open a tap, so it does not hold a standing supply the way a tank does, and it does not run out mid-shower the way a tank can when several people use hot water back to back. Installing one usually means changes to the gas line, venting, or electrical circuit, since tankless units draw more power at the moment they fire than a tank does. A contractor can look at your home's setup and tell you what that changeover involves.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is what feeds it. A tankless unit needs a larger gas line or a dedicated electrical circuit than most tank heaters use, because it has to heat water on demand rather than gradually. Venting changes too, since tankless units often vent differently than a standing tank. Some homes need all of this added during installation, which is why a contractor has to look at the gas line, the electrical panel, and the venting path before pricing the job.