Water Heater Installation in La Crosse, WI
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What a water heater in La Crosse County has to deal with
Winters here bring nights that average 12°F from December through February, and that cold reaches the incoming water line long before it reaches the tank. Colder water in means the tank works harder to bring it up to temperature, on top of a season that already runs eight months, October through May.
Power is the other thing to plan for. Close to a fifth of Wisconsin households went at least a day without power in 2024, and the county has seen 21 winter storms and 100 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps making hot water through an outage. One that relies on electronic ignition does not, until the power is back.
Whatever gets installed has to clear the federal efficiency minimum for storage water heaters, which is set separately for each tank size rather than as one number for every unit.
- 12°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 8 months
- October through May, the months homes here need heat
- 18%
- of Wisconsin 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 $330 a year to run in Wisconsin compared with an electric water heater.
Estimates for a typical Wisconsin home, from EIA household energy data and Wisconsin fuel prices. Your home will differ.
- How do I know it's time to replace my water heater?
- The clearest sign is water that won't stay hot or runs out fast when it used to last. Rust colored water from the hot tap, or rust around the tank itself, means the tank is corroding from the inside and that doesn't get better. A puddle at the base or damp floor near the tank means it's leaking, and a leaking tank needs to come out. Most tanks are built to last a certain number of years, and once yours is past that age, a repair is often just delaying a replacement that's coming anyway.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want from your hot water, not on your old tank being old. A tankless unit heats water as it flows through, so it doesn't run out the way a tank does during back to back showers or a full house of guests. It won't cost you standby energy keeping a tank of water hot all day, since there's no tank sitting there losing heat. Whether it fits your house, your gas line or your electrical panel is something a contractor needs to look at, since tankless units have different hookup needs than the tank you have now.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water doesn't run out. A tank gives you a set amount before it's cold, but a tankless unit heats water on demand, so a long shower doesn't leave the next person with nothing. It also means no tank sitting in a closet or basement corner, since the unit mounts on a wall and takes up a fraction of the space. The gas line, vent and sometimes the electrical hookup often need to change to match what the new unit requires, which is why a contractor needs to see the house before saying what the switch involves.