What are some additional water heater features to consider?

Depending on your needs, inquire about self-cleaning units, product efficiency ratings, first-hour hot water delivery and recovery time, and automatic shut off valves. Self-cleaning units automatically fight lime and sediment build-up to lengthen tank life and maintain peak efficiency for a longer period of time. Recovery speed is the amount of time it takes to heat a full tank of water. If you tend to use a lot of hot water, look for a model with a fast recovery speed. An automatic shut off valve helps prevent fires by shutting off the flow of gas on the ground or the gas flow experiences a sudden, sizeable increase.