Tankless Water Heater in Union City, GA

Will my Union City home take a tankless unit easily?

In most cases. About 23% of homes predate 1980, and the rest are newer subdivisions where the heater usually sits in a garage or utility room near an outside wall. That suits a wall-mounted tankless unit and a short vent. The main check is gas pipe: builders sized it for a tank, and a tankless burner can draw several times more at full fire, so a larger run from the meter is sometimes needed. Condensing units need a drain, and every unit needs an outlet for its controls. Older homes near Union Street may need a longer vent route, and in some the heater shares a closet with the furnace and a metal flue that a sealed tankless vent cannot use.

Where does the water come from?

Union City maintains its own water distribution and sewer collection system but buys treated water from the City of Atlanta, drawn from the Chattahoochee River and delivered through ten master meters. Chlorine is the disinfectant, and the city's report does not list hardness. A home water test is the way to decide how often a tankless heat exchanger should be flushed, and the city's annual water quality report is the place to check current results. If you ever see sediment or discoloration after work on the street mains, run a cold tap for a few minutes before using hot water so debris does not reach a tankless unit's inlet screen. Union City's water and sewer division handles the mains and meters; anything on the house side of the meter is a plumber's job.

Who issues the permit?

Union City Community Development's Building Permits Division handles building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits through the city's iWorQ portal. The office is at 5041 Union Street, (770) 515-7950, option 1. The page does not name water heaters specifically, but a tankless conversion changes gas piping and venting, so the plumber should expect to file.

Local note

Union City has no city gas department, and its website links to a gas marketer; Atlanta Gas Light maintains the pipes. If you smell gas, leave first, then call 911 and AGL at 877.427.4321 from a safe place.