How To Tell When It’s Time To Add a New Water Heater To the Holiday Wish List
Some of the best holiday gifts for homeowners are the ones that they actually need. Never mind the new pair of socks or the holiday sweater from Aunt Bess. What a practical homeowner has on their wish list usually has to do with keeping the house functioning and warding off disaster. And there’s nothing like getting a new water heater as a gift when the old one is on its last legs. But for a homeowner to decide if they need a new water heater, they should always look for three major signs of a failing water heater. Read on to discover when to put a water heater on the holiday wish list.
The Water Heater’s Age
Water heaters can run strong for about 10 years in most places. However, those who live in areas known to have hard water may have to replace their water heaters every 7 or 8 years. Hard water is tough on water heaters. Performing regular maintenance, like getting the unit flushed once a year, is a great way to extend its lifespan.
For those homeowners who don’t know the age of their water heater, check the serial number. Usually, the first two numbers are the year, but this isn’t always the case. To be sure, check with the manufacturer via their website. If there have been strange happenings with the water heater and it’s over 10 years old, it’s time to have it replaced.
Storage Tank Cracks
It can be hard to tell, on a water heater, where a leak is coming from. There are several components that can cause a leak, and not all of them require the entire unit to be replaced. Unfortunately, when a storage tank is cracked, it almost always requires replacement. Sometimes, a cracked tank won’t leak continuously.
Since water expands as it's heated, the leak may only occur when the water is being heated. Homeowners who can’t determine where the leak is coming from are advised to call a plumber. Deciding whether the tank is cracked can be difficult without professional help.
Discolored Water
Lastly, the color of the water is a great indicator of water heater health. Rust-colored water is one of the most obvious signs that something is wrong in a plumbing system. Many homeowners don’t realize that rust-colored water usually comes from the water heater and not elsewhere in the system. To test this, homeowners are advised to run only hot water into a large bucket and then do the same with cold water. If the hot water is discolored and the cold is not, the water heater is to blame.
Water heaters are designed to resist corrosion, but they can only do it for so long. On relatively new water heaters, fixing the rust-colored water may only require a new anode rod. On older water heaters, discolored hot water means it's time for water heater replacement.
About ThermAll Heating & Cooling, Inc.
The friendly experts at ThermAll Heating & Cooling, Inc. have been serving Yakima and Ellensburg, WA for more than 30 years. They are available 24/7 to better assist their customers in their hour of need. In fact, ThermAll Heating & Cooling, Inc. cares so much about their customers that they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Give them a call for reliable heating, cooling, and water heater services in Yakima, WA.
