7 Indicators You Might Need A New Water Heater

Hot water, could you imagine living without it? Did you know that an average household in America uses up to 30,000 gallons of water every year, most of which consists of hot water? And as the winter months turn colder and colder no one wants to have to be forced to take an ice-cold shower. In order to have hot water  people must use a water heater of some sort in their home. Nothing lasts forever, not even hot water heaters. So over time that water heater will eventually need to be replaced. There are a few indicators that it is time or at least soon will be, and you do not want to wait too long. For those of you with Hot water tanks, the last thing you want is to have one of them let their contents loose on your floor.

 Not sure if you need your water heater replaced? Listed below are 7 indicators that you might just need a new water heater.

1. Age of Your Water Heater - Machines and appliances are not meant to last forever, so depending on the type of water heater you have they can last about 10 years. Not sure how old the water heater is? There should be a label on the unit that says when it was installed. What if there’s no installation label? Depending on the label made by the manufacturer, you can use the serial number to determine how old the water heater is. Normally the serial number’s first two digits are the last two digits of the year the water heater was manufactured. For example, if the serial number is 097484993, then the unit was made in 2009. 
   
   
2. Failure to Heat in General - When your water takes a long time to heat up, or if the water is always lukewarm these are signs you're probably experiencing early failure of the water heater. This happens often if the unit is old. 
   
   
3. Temperature Varies - There’s nothing more disappointing early in the morning when you’re in the shower and all of a sudden the water turns ice-cold, then it turns hot again giving you a nice surprise. You will probably find yourself turning the dial multiple times to try to get the temperature just right. This variance in temperature could indicate you need a new water heater. 
   
   
4. Rust or Cloudy Water - The water coming out of your faucets should be clear, if it’s not, that may be another sign your water heater is failing. If you are experiencing rusty sinks in your home or the smell of rust from the water, this could mean you have rusty pipes or there is rust inside your water heater. A cloudy water look from the faucet is from minerals in the water and they can affect how the water flows and the water heater itself. 
   
   
5. Weird Noises - If you’re experiencing rumbling or a popping sound this is most likely a sign your water heater is old. This can cause leaks and cracks in your water heater over time. If these noises get louder you most likely need to get the tank replaced. 
   
   
6. Leakage - Leaking around the tank or any pipes, you may need to get the unit checked out by a technician. This could indicate that the tank is cracked or there is corrosion. Leaking could also mean there might be a problem with the temperature/pressure relief valve. If this valve is the cause of the leak, this needs to be replaced to prevent overheating of the tank. This could potentially cause damage to your home, so if this is happening, have a technician come to check it out. The technician might just tighten up some pipes, replace a valve, or adjust the pressure. However, they might have to replace the heater if there is any damage. 
   
   
7. Repairs - Are you constantly repairing your tank or pipes? You should consider replacing the entire unit instead of having small repairs that keep adding up and crushing your pocket.

So there you have it, 7 signs it may be time to replace your hot water heater. If you’re experiencing any of these problems, give us a call so we can quickly and effectively solve these issues before anything too tragic occurs. Perhaps while we are there we can discuss how the tankless hot water system will save you money!