Is your Yukon house ready for tankless?
Yukon's population jumped from 3,076 in 1960 to 17,112 in 1980, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society, and Census estimates put the median year built for the city's housing at 1979. The gas piping in those homes was sized for the appliances of the day, usually a tank water heater, a furnace and maybe a range. A tankless heater fires only when you run hot water, but when it does, it can call for a lot more gas than the old tank ever did.
If the pipe can't deliver that gas, the unit starves at peak demand: temperatures swing in the shower, or the heater throws a fault when two fixtures run at once. So we start every tankless estimate by tracing the gas line back to the meter, adding up the load on it, and checking the pipe size against what the new unit needs. Three things decide whether your house is ready:
- Gas supply. Pipe size and length from the meter, plus every other gas appliance on that line.
- Venting route. Most units vent through a side wall or the roof with their own approved vent pipe. The old metal flue usually can't be reused.
- Power and drain. An outlet near the unit, and a place to drain condensate on high-efficiency models.
Permitted gas work in Yukon
When the gas line needs upsizing, that is regulated work. The City of Yukon's residential plumbing permit schedule lists gas extensions with a test, gas pressure tests and gas vent replacement as separate permit items, and the city's plumbing inspection categories include gas and water heaters. We pull the permit, pressure test the new piping, and schedule the inspection so your installation is documented and safe.
Tankless water heater flushing and descaling with Yukon water
Two sources feed Yukon's mains: groundwater from city wells and treated water purchased from Oklahoma City. The EPA's case study on Yukon's system describes the ratio of purchased water being reviewed and adjusted daily. Whatever the mix, any minerals in the water collect on the heat exchanger inside a tankless unit, where scale cuts efficiency and can trigger error codes and shorten the unit's life.
Descaling clears that buildup. We isolate the unit with its service valves, circulate a descaling solution through the heat exchanger, flush it clean, and clean the inlet filter screen. If your unit was installed without service valves, we can add them so future flushing is quick. If you're weighing a softener or a scale-reduction filter, we can test your water first.
How we install a tankless water heater
- Size the load. We count your fixtures, estimate peak flow and check incoming water temperature to pick the right unit.
- Check gas and venting. We measure the gas line, plan the vent route and note any upgrades needed.
- Permit and install. We file the permit, mount the unit, run gas, water and venting, and add service valves.
- Test and inspect. We pressure test the gas line, fire the unit at full demand and schedule the city inspection.
Learn more on our main tankless water heater installation and repair page, or read about local water and housing on our Yukon plumbing page.