Tank, tankless, and the hard water in between
Bennett water heaters, set up to outlast the hard water.
The water out on the plains east of Denver is hard, and it takes years off a heater nobody looks after. Wes installs tank and tankless units in Bennett homes as a master plumber and general contractor: sized to the household, piped clean, and set up so the next heater gets its full life.
What the minerals do
Why a Bennett tank gives out years early.
Hard water carries dissolved minerals, and heating it pulls those minerals out of the water. In a tank, they settle to the bottom and coat whatever does the heating.
On a gas unit, that layer sits between the burner and the water. On an electric unit, it crusts over the element. Either way the heater runs longer to deliver the same shower, and the metal at the bottom of the tank takes heat it was never meant to carry.
You can often hear it. A tank that pops, rumbles, or crackles while it heats is boiling small pockets of water trapped under sediment. Hot water that runs out sooner than it used to is the other giveaway, because the scale is taking up room the water used to have.
A tank that should last twelve years can start failing at eight in water like Bennett’s when nobody deals with that buildup. Most of them eventually let go at the bottom, where the stress is worst. By the time water is on the floor, repair is off the table and the only question left is what goes in next.
Call (303) 883-9075 or reach us through the contact page. Installs from past jobs are in the gallery.
Flushing a tank, descaling a tankless.
Flushing is the cheapest insurance a water heater has. On a tank, we shut it down, drain it through the valve at the bottom, and run water through until what comes out is clear. Done on a regular schedule, it keeps the sediment layer thin and the heater working close to how it did when it was new.
A tank that has gone a long stretch without it is a tougher call. The sediment packs hard, and sometimes it plugs the drain valve partway through. We tell you what we are seeing and whether that tank is worth the effort, or whether a flush at this point will stir up more trouble than it clears.
Tankless units need the same kind of attention. Scale builds inside the heat exchanger, and the unit starts running hot, throwing error codes, or sending water that swings between warm and cold mid-shower. Descaling means closing the service valves and circulating a descaling solution through the unit. If yours went in without service valves, we can add them so upkeep is simple from then on. More on the units we put in is on the water heater installation page.
- Tank flush and sediment check
- Tankless descaling
- Service valves added to tankless
- Anode rod inspection
- Relief valve check
- Expansion tank sizing
Soften the water before it reaches the heater.
Flushing manages the buildup. A whole-house water softener goes after the cause, pulling hardness out of the water before it gets to the heater, the faucets, or the washing machine.
Placement is everything. The softener belongs on the main line ahead of the water heater, so every gallon that gets heated has already been treated. We pipe in a bypass so the softener can be serviced without shutting the house down, and we can leave an untreated line where it makes sense, like the hose bib you use for the garden. On a well-connected home, the softener and any filtration sit after the pressure tank, and that whole stretch from the tank into the house is ours to handle.
A softener is the wrong buy for some households, and we will say so when that is the case. Some people would rather stay on a flushing schedule, and that works fine as long as the flushing actually happens. If you are replacing a heater that died early, though, have that conversation before the new one goes in. The new tank is going to face the same water the old one did. Call (303) 883-9075 and Wes will talk through whether it makes sense for your house.
No hot water in the middle of January.
A tank that has been scaling quietly for years tends to quit when it is working hardest, and that is winter, when the water coming in is at its coldest and everyone in the house wants a long shower.
We take those calls around the clock. When the heater stops at night, call (303) 883-9075. Tell us whether the tank is leaking, what kind of unit it is, and whether a pilot or error light is showing, and Wes can walk you through shutting off the water and the gas safely while we work out timing. Bennett is about 45 miles from our base in Littleton, so you get an honest window on the phone before we head out.
If the heater can be repaired, we repair it. A burned-out element or a bad thermocouple does not automatically mean a new unit. A leaking tank does, and in that case we go over replacement options and give you a straight quote before anything gets hauled away.
When the new heater will not fit the old closet.
Heaters have changed shape over the years, and a replacement can come out taller or wider than the unit it takes over for. Add an expansion tank, a softener loop, or a switch from tank to tankless, and the utility closet that held the old heater may not hold the new setup.
That is where the general contractor license matters, right next to the master plumber license. Wes can reframe the closet, widen the door opening, or build out wall space for a tankless unit on the same job, so you never have to schedule a carpenter around a plumber. The gas side gets the same attention: a supply line sized for the unit, venting run the way code expects, and every connection leak-tested before the burner lights. The old heater leaves with us and the floor gets swept.
If the trouble turns out to be under the house instead, see sewer services, drain cleaning, pipe repair or bathroom remodel plumbing, or start from the Bennett page.
Look at the setup
Water quality, the space, the gas or electric supply, and how your household uses hot water.
Match the unit
Tank or tankless, sized to the house, with a straight quote in hand before you commit.
Install and test
Piped, vented, leak-checked, and filled, with the closet framed to fit if it needs it.
Show you the valves
Where to shut it off, how to flush it, and when to call us back.
Straight answers
Hot water questions we hear east of Denver.
How long should a water heater last with hard water like Bennett’s?
A tank that should last around twelve years can start failing closer to eight when scale builds up untreated. Regular flushing and a softener ahead of the heater both help it reach its full life. Tankless units scale too, and periodic descaling is what keeps them running right.
Is a tankless heater a good fit for hard water?
It can be, with upkeep. Scale collects in the heat exchanger, so a tankless unit needs periodic descaling and runs best on softened water. We install service valves so that maintenance is easy, and we will tell you honestly whether tank or tankless suits the way your household uses hot water.
What should we do if the water heater starts leaking?
Close the cold water valve at the top of the heater, then turn the gas control to off or switch off the breaker on an electric unit. If the leak is heavy, close the main shutoff as well. Then call (303) 883-9075. We take emergency calls around the clock.
Do we need an expansion tank with a new heater?
On a lot of homes, yes. Water expands as it heats, and on a closed system that extra pressure has nowhere to go but the heater, the fixtures, and the pipe joints. An expansion tank gives it room. We check your system during the visit and tell you whether one belongs on your install.
Do you install water heaters in homes on a well?
Yes. Our work starts at the pressure tank and runs through the house, which covers the water heater, a softener, and filtration. We do not drill or service the well itself. Well homes out toward Strasburg, Byers, and Deer Trail get the same install and the same care as a house in town.
Heater acting up, or already done for?
Call and tell us what it is doing. Wes will tell you whether a flush or a repair buys real time or whether the heater has reached the end, and you get a straight quote before anything comes off the wall. Emergency calls are picked up at any hour.