Is It Time to Replace Your Water Heater?
Having hot water on demand in our homes is no longer a luxury, but a bare necessity. We simply take it for granted that every time we open a tap or start the shower, hot water will be there. But rarely anyone stops to think what it takes to get it there and what to do if it stops. Unmaintained water heaters that provide us with our beloved convenience are a disaster waiting to happen and when it does strike, there’s little we can do ourselves.
Most of us don’t have the faintest idea when the heater is about to fail and can’t recognise the signs, so in order to prevent the damage, here are several basic indicators to be on the lookout for.
Water heater age
An essential piece of information for you to know is the age of your water heater. You can easily find it out by looking at the serial number on the manufacturer’s sticker. However, these numbers don’t look the way normal dates do, but they’re a combination of letters and numbers. The letter indicates the month of production: for instance, F is the sixth letter of the alphabet, so it means the water heater was produced in June, the sixth month of the year. The next two digits after it, 05 or 06 for example, represent the year, 2005 or 2006 in this case.
In general, water heaters of more than 10 years of age should be replaced. If your heater is in such a location that it won’t cause serious damage if it leaks, you might wait until it does develop a leak and replace it then, but this is not recommended.
Strange noises
As time passes and the water heater ages, sediment will inevitably build up on the tank’s bottom and as it’s heated and reheated, it will put strain on the heater’s proper functioning and compromise its efficiency. It will require more power and energy to perform the same function, which you might also hear in the form of strange noises coming from the heater. It’s usually something like banging or rumbling noises, which is a sure sign that it’s struggling to work and is nearing the end of its life span.
Winter is no time to be left without proper heating and hot water, and Canberra is no exception. Even though it’s located in the south of Australia, its climate can be quite harsh, especially in winter months, so when a heater failure calls for professional interventions, locals turn to this Canberra-based expert for hot water systems who provides high quality service and excellent workmanship in fixing, replacing and installing water heaters.
Rusty water
Another clear sign that your water heater is failing and might develop a leak in near future is when rusty water starts coming out of it, especially from the hot side piping. On the other hand, if you have galvanized pipes, it might be coming from rusty pipes. You can easily test this before you rush to replace a well-functioning water heater. Drain several 20-litre buckets of hot water out of the heater, and by the time you get to the third bucket, if the water is still coming out rusty, it’s a sure indicator that it’s not rusty piping, but a rusty water heater at fault.
Leaks
Any sign of moisture around your water heater is a sign of leak coming out of a fracture in the tank. Before you jump to replace the heater, make sure there are no other leaks from fittings, connections or the temperature/pressure overflow pipe. If all of these are clear, then it is time to replace your water heater.
In order to have things running smoothly and efficiently with your water heater, regular maintenance is the key. A timely checkup can go a long way in preventing damage and extending the life of your hot water system.
