You depend on your home’s water almost every day. Can you imagine trying to get through a regular morning without a hot shower? Or managing basic cooking and cleaning?
It would be nice if you could rely on your water heater to work for you whenever you need it. But any powerful appliance like this will wear down with age, no matter how well you have it maintained and regularly serviced. With all the work water heaters perform, it’s amazing they last for as long as they often do.
We don’t want you to get trapped suddenly without the hot water you need. If you’ve got a dying older water heater, it’s best to know the signs of trouble so you can call us to schedule a timely replacement before the system permanently fails.
Below we’ll go over some of the ways to know you may have to have a new water heater installed.
The heater is over its service life estimate
How old is your water heater? You can find this out by looking at the tank to find its manufacturer information, which includes a manufacture date. You will also find an estimate for how long you can expect the system to last. The average storage tank water heater can last 10 to 15 years, while tank water heaters can often last for 20. If your water heater is above this mark, it’s time to consider a preemptive replacement. (If your water heater hasn’t had regular maintenance each year, lower the service life estimate by several years.)
Loss of hot water volume
This is the #1 sign of a water heater going into its final decline. If your water heater was accurately sized and professionally installed, it shouldn’t struggle to deliver hot water for everyone during the day. When members of your household start going with lukewarm or even cold showers, it’s a major red flag of a dying water heater.
Rusty discoloration in the hot water
When you see a reddish-brown color coming from the hot water taps, don’t ignore it or hope it will go away. Test to see if the discoloration is only coming from the hot water and if it’s affecting all the hot water taps. If it’s both, then it probably means the interior of the water heater tank has rusted through. There’s no effective way to repair this, and the water heater needs to be replaced before it starts developing massive leaks.
Extensive water leaks
Speaking of which … The only place where you should see water escaping from a water heater is a few drips from the pressure relief valve. If you’re seeing water leaks elsewhere or water is pooling around the water heater base, the system likely needs a full replacement.
High heating bills
A water heater accounts for approximately 40% of the heating energy in a house. When a water heater starts to decline and drain more power than usual, it will create much higher energy costs. Unless a targeted repair can fix this, the water heater should retire.
When it comes to water heaters in Rochester, NY, we’re the experts to trust. We’ll help you decide if you need a new water heater or if repairs can keep your current one going for several more years.
Call Your One-stop Shop for HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical serving the Greater Rochester Area: Triple O Heating, Cooling, Electrical & Plumbing.