Tankless Water Heater in Strasburg, CO

Is a Strasburg house ready for a tankless unit?

Often it is. Census survey figures put Strasburg's median build year at 2001, with only about 25% of homes built before 1980, which fits the town's shift from a railroad-born community to a commuter town on the I-70 corridor. Newer houses usually have a garage or mechanical room near an exterior wall, so a sealed vent stays short, and many have room in the electrical panel for the small load a gas unit adds. The gas line is the usual hurdle: a whole-house tankless burner draws several times what a tank does at full fire, so the plumber measures the pipe from the meter. Gas service wasn't verified for Strasburg, so your bill shows the utility, and homes on propane need a propane-rated unit.

What will the district's water do to the heat exchanger?

Strasburg Sanitation & Water District supplies groundwater from six wells in Adams County, disinfected with chlorine. Its report doesn't state hardness, but groundwater often carries more minerals than surface water, and those settle in a tankless heat exchanger. A test before installation helps decide between a simple yearly flush and adding a softener or scale filter. Water lines run in road easements with meter pits usually at the front of the home, while sewer lines run in the alleys. The district office is at (303) 622-4443.

Who permits the job?

Strasburg is unincorporated and spans two counties. In the Adams County portion, the One Stop Permitting Center (720-523-6800) requires a building permit for water heater installation or replacement. Parts of Strasburg lie in Arapahoe County, whose permit office wasn't verified, so the plumber confirms which office covers your address. The district's reports also note it is correcting its backflow and cross-connection program with the state, so expect attention to backflow devices when plumbing changes.

A Strasburg note

If you smell gas near the heater, leave the house first, then call 911 and your gas utility, or your propane supplier, from outside. Out on the plains, power outages also stop a gas tankless unit, since its controls and fan need electricity, and its freeze protection quits at the same time. Keeping the unit in heated space and insulating exposed lines in a garage covers most cold-snap problems.