An unexpected water heater failure can disrupt your daily life and wreak havoc in your home. You can avoid unpleasant cold showers and costly water damage by learning some of the warning signs that it’s time to get a new water heater installed.
Advancing Age
Just like other appliances, water heaters have an expected lifespan. Electric models have an average service life of eight to 10 years, while gas units typically last for six to eight years. If yours is approaching old age, you may want to consider replacing it before problems start to crop up.
Evidence of Rust
Rust often develops on the outside of a water heater that’s approaching the end of its lifespan, especially around the water line connections, the temperature and pressure relief (T&P) valve or the seams. If the water running from your hot water faucets has a rusty-orange tinge, it’s a signal that the sacrificial anode rod has disintegrated and the inside of the tank is corroding as well.
Water Leaks
A rusting water heater will eventually start to leak around the tank bottom, the connections, the drain valve or the T&P valve. If minor water heater leaks go undetected and the appliance isn’t replaced before it fails and floods your home, you can end up dealing with a messy cleanup and considerable water damage.
Noisy Operation
When water is heated to high temperatures, mineral scale or sediment naturally forms. If you don’t flush the water heater yearly, accumulated sediment forms a hard layer that causes popping, banging, or rumbling sounds. The buildup not only degrades your heater’s efficiency, but it can also cause premature metal fatigue and leaks.
Lukewarm Water
As mineral scale collects inside a water heater tank, it creates an insulating layer that makes it harder for the appliance to heat water to the thermostat setting. If your water supply has gone from hot to lukewarm, the heater is likely on its last legs.
For expert advice about whether it’s time to have a new water heater installed in your Indianapolis home, contact us today at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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