Water Heater Installation in Joliet, IL
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Eight months of hard use, and storms that cut the power
Water heaters in Joliet work eight months of the year, October through May, with winter nights averaging 20°F. That kind of stretch asks a lot of a tank, and a unit already on its way out tends to fail somewhere in that run.
Will County also sees its share of rough weather, 17 winter storms and 202 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and across Illinois about 16% of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One with electronic ignition does not. Worth knowing before you pick a replacement.
Whatever size tank goes in, it has to clear a federal minimum efficiency set for that size specifically. A licensed installer will know the number that applies to yours.
- 20°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 16%
- of Illinois 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 $360 a year to run in Illinois compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Illinois home, from EIA household energy data and Illinois fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- Age is the first thing to check. Most tank water heaters have a working life span, and once yours is well into it, a repair is just a delay before the next one. Watch for water pooling at the base of the tank, since that usually means the tank itself is failing from the inside and no part can fix that. Rusty water from the hot tap, a pilot that won't stay lit, or water that never gets as hot as it used to are also signs the unit is on its way out. If your water heater is older and starting to act up going into winter here, replacing it before it fails is worth considering, since a cold house is a worse time to be without hot water than most.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, but there are real tradeoffs either way. A tankless unit heats water only when you call for it, so you're not paying to keep a tank of water hot around the clock. It also takes up much less space than a tank, and it won't run out of hot water partway through back to back showers the way a tank can. Against that, a tankless unit costs more upfront than a like for like tank replacement, and installing one can mean upgrading gas or electric lines to handle its demand. A contractor can look at your current setup and tell you what switching would actually involve in your house.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The unit itself is much smaller and mounts on a wall instead of taking up floor space. Because it heats water on demand rather than storing it, it needs a gas line or electric circuit sized for that burst of demand, which is often larger than what a tank used. Venting changes too, since a tankless unit vents differently than a tank and usually needs its own dedicated vent run. Depending on your home's existing gas line, electrical panel, and where the old tank sat, a contractor will need to work out what has to be added or rerouted to make the switch.