Tankless Water Heaters in Spencer, NC

Spencer grew up around Southern Railway's Spencer Shops, opened in 1896 and now the NC Transportation Museum. Census survey figures put the median build year at 1950, with about 76% of homes built before 1980 and about 34% before 1940. Gas is more common than in much of the county: city-data's figures for ZIP 28159 show about 39% of homes heating with utility gas, plus about 10% with fuel oil.

What to do now

1. Find your fuel. Check for a gas meter outside. Piedmont Natural Gas serves only portions of Rowan County, so not every street has gas.
2. Look at the heater's location. In older Spencer homes it's often in a basement, closet or back porch. Note how far it is from an outside wall.
3. Check the old flue. A tank heater may share a masonry chimney with a furnace. A tankless unit won't use it, and that affects the furnace's venting too.
4. Look for an expansion tank. Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, which serves Spencer, has used meters with check valves for new customers since 1988 and recommends a thermal expansion tank where one is added.
5. Smell gas? Get out. Leave the house and call 911 or Piedmont Natural Gas at 800-752-7504 from outside.

Symptoms and what they usually mean

Cost factors

• Gas line sizing. Lines in older houses were seldom sized for a tankless burner's peak draw.
• Venting. Getting a sealed vent through brick, plaster or a finished basement wall.
• Chimney changes. Removing the water heater from a shared chimney can mean relining it for the furnace.
• Interior piping. Aging pipes near the heater may be worth replacing during the install.
• Permit. Rowan County's February 2024 schedule lists $90 for a tankless water heater permit.