Conventional Vents (CV) Starting from $15.99/month:

• Are installed mostly in homes built previous to 2000 (and usually have a built in chimney) making them one of the more commonly used water heaters in Ontario.
• Keep a reservoir of hot water available at all times so that when you turn on the tap, it's ready to use.
• Require an exit drain near the base of tank (usually in basement).
• Are good for high volume hot water applications.
• Can be fueled by either natural gas or propane gas.

Power Vents (PV) Starting from $26.49/month:

• Are installed mostly in homes built after 1995, homes with no chimney or homes that have converted from another water heating source making them one of the more commonly used water heaters in Ontario.
• Blower motor is attached to the tank and pushes exhaust gas outside the home via the side wall.
• Usually provide long venting lengths.
• Can be fueled by either natural gas or propane gas.

Direct Vents (DV) Starting from $29.64/month:

• Are used where there is insufficient combustible air/where air is unsuitable for combustion (ie. bedroom or bathroom installations).

Power Direct Vents (PDV) Starting from $32.93/month:

• Are similar to DV but instead use a two-pipe system for venting.

Electric Water Heaters Starting from $13.49/month:

• Use heating coils instead of natural gas to provide hot water for home.

Tankless Water Heaters Starting from $40.99/month:

• Do not contain storage tanks and fit compactly on a wall mount.
• Heat up on demand and deliver an endless supply of hot water by regulating water flow.
• Use less energy than conventional units, making them more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Condensing Water Heaters Starting from $43.75/month:

• Are similar to conventional units in that they both burn gas, exhaust flues and store hot water in an insulated tank.
• Exhaust gas and condensate exits through outlet at bottom of tank.
• Use less energy than conventional units because of how heat is transferred to water making them more efficient and environmentally friendly.

1. Locate the rating plate (sticker) on your tank.
2. The rating plate will have listed:
   1. The model number of the tank
   2. The serial number of the tank
   3. The date the tank was manufactured

Note: if the date is a series of numbers and letters, you may have to visit the manufacturers' website guide.

Although the average useful life expectancy of a water heater is approximately 16 years, some tanks can last longer and others can last less. Below are some warning signs to look out for:

1. Rusty water coming from the water heater/piping
2. Rumbling or odd sounds coming from the water heater
3. Water leakage around the tank

A concentrated solution of sodium/salt (brine tank) is flushed through beads, also called resin. The resin beads inside the softener tank have a different or opposite electrical charge than the dissolved particles of the incoming water. Because of this electrical charge difference, the dissolved particles suspended in your water will cling to the resin beads on contact, thereby ridding the water of these particles, causing the water exiting the unit to be “soft”. The resin has a limit on the amount of hardness particles it can hold, which is why there are many different sizes of softeners and also why regeneration or brining is required.

Install a water softener into your home. The resin or mineral inside the brine tank is specially designed to remove the “hard” particles of lime and calcium, by a simple ion exchange process. This will help to prevent sediment and scale build up in your water heater keeping it in the best shape possible.

In many places across Ontario, ground water comes into contact with sufficient concentrations of calcium and magnesium. The harder the water, the more problems homeowners will encounter in terms of scale buildup in their pipes, regular and tankless water heaters, and dishwashers. Scale buildup can make water heater and dishwasher units less energy efficient while shortening the life of equipment and clogging your faucets and taps. Hard water can also cause water spotting while lessening the effectiveness of soap and detergent. Producing soft water from hard water involves a process called ion exchange.

Hard water has high mineral content. Hard water minerals primarily consist of positively charged calcium (Ca2+), and magnesium (Mg2+) metal ions, and sometimes other dissolved compounds such as bicarbonates and sulfates.