Is Your Water Heater About to Break?
Most people forget that their water heater isn’t actually integral to the structure of a home.
While the walls and roof will potentially last for ever, water heaters are only designed to last a decade or so.
They work hard, constantly heating up an enormous tank of water so that we can have:
- Showers
- Clean clothes
- Clean dishes
- Hot water for anything we want
However, your water heater will age, decay, and finally stop working and need to be replaced.
Because a broken water heater can become dangerous, it’s important to watch out for signs things aren’t quite right and determine whether your water heater can be fixed, or it’s time to get a new water heater.
Here’s when you should ask “Is my water heater about to stop working?”
Rumbling or Banging Sounds
One of the most common issues with failing water heaters is that they get noisy.
Not like your dryer. More like a popping noise, or percolating sound.
- Rumbling, banging, and popcorn like sounds can all indicate your water heater isn’t working properly.
When old water heaters do display this behavior, it’s due to sediment building up at the bottom of the heater.
To fix and prevent this issue, you need to have your water heater flushed and cleaned about once to twice a year to clear out the sediment.
Otherwise, it will harden and make that unpleasant sound when it heats back up.
And again, you’ll be wondering “Is my water heater about to break?”
No Hot Water or Not Hot Enough Hot Water
If your water isn’t warm at all, this could indicate your pilot light has gone out, which is a quick and easy fix.
- However, if you’ve got insufficiently warm water or your pilot light is still on, there is a serious problem
Warm water means your water heater is trying to heat up the water, but just can’t work up the force to do so.
It will continue burning power and trying to create heat until eventually, the mechanism fails and your water heater fails completely.
You’ll want to call an HVAC professional to investigate further.
Burn Marks On the Bottom
Most water heaters work by heating a large tank of water with a flame.
The flame under the tank heats the water and then the hot water is transferred to your sinks, appliances, and showers.
Burn or scorch marks on the sides of your water heater, on the other hand, can indicate a dangerous problem.
Your HVAC professional will be able to advise you of the problem and the solution.
You Water Heater is More Than 10 Years Old
Even if your water heater works as it should:
- If it’s over 10 years old or you have no idea how old it is, get it inspected
This will ensure there are no lurking functionality or safety hazards, and you will be aware of any potential future problems.
Conclusion
If your water heater is old or not working as expected, call a professional HVAC appliance repair service to inspect your unit, flush water to clear the sediment, and provide you with hot water again.
Contact us today at 691-294-7798 and tell us how we can fix your water heater,
