Water Heater Installation in Milwaukee, WI
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What Milwaukee County asks of a new water heater
Winter nights here average 18°F from December through February, and homes run their heat from October through May, eight months of the year. A water heater has to bring cold water up to temperature the whole time, not just in the coldest stretch.
Power doesn't always stay on to run it. Wisconsin saw 18% of households go at least 24 hours without power in 2024, and the county has logged 21 winter storms and 71 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A gas water heater with a standing pilot keeps working through an outage. One with electronic ignition won't light again until the power comes back, though most start up on their own once it does.
Whatever size tank goes in, it has to meet a federal efficiency minimum. That minimum isn't one number. It's set by a formula based on the tank's rated volume, applied across four different draw patterns, so two tanks of different sizes can face different minimums even when they're the same type.
- 18°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 faster than it used to. Rust colored water from the hot side, or rust around the fittings on top of the tank, means the tank itself is corroding from the inside. A puddle at the base, even a small one, means the tank has started to fail and won't get better on its own. If yours is old and starting to act up, it's worth having a contractor look at it before it fails outright and leaves you without hot water.
- Should I switch to a tankless water heater?
- It depends on what you want out of it, not on your old tank failing. A tankless unit heats water as it's used instead of storing it, so you don't run out partway through a shower with a full house. It also takes up far less space than a tank. Whether the switch makes sense for your house depends on the gas line and venting it needs, which is why a contractor should look at the specific setup before you decide.
- What changes when you install a tankless water heater?
- The biggest change is that hot water no longer runs out. A tank holds a fixed supply and once it's used up you wait for it to reheat. A tankless unit heats water as it flows through, so it keeps up as long as the tap is running. That means it needs a gas line sized for the higher flow it draws when running, and its own venting, which is different from what a tank uses. A contractor can tell you what your home's gas line and venting would need to change to support one.