Upkeep, fuel choices, heat pump models and the valves around the tank that most owners never look at.
A tank water heater in the Upstate tends to last somewhere around 8 to 12 years, and how you treat it changes where in that range it lands. These posts cover flushing, the expansion tank and pressure valve, and the running cost of gas, electric and heat pump units at Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas rates.
When the tank is already failing, see no hot water, water heater leaking or replacement.
Greenville Water's meter dual checks and new-build PRVs make many homes closed systems. Why that drips relief valves, what code requires, and how to check the tank and PRV.
A heat pump water heater can cut water heating costs by about three-quarters on Duke Energy's SC rate. Where it fits in Upstate homes, noise, rebates and a payback example.
We ran the numbers on Duke Energy's SC rate and South Carolina gas prices: about $360 a year for gas, $660 for electric, and less for a heat pump. Plus venting, recovery and gas availability.
Test the relief valve, drain the sediment, check the anode, set it to 120°F. How often each job makes sense on soft Greenville Water vs well water, and what not to try.