Water heaters are used quite extensively in some homes. At such homes, water heater repairs are required every once in a while. The expected life of a water heater is stated clearly by manufacturers, but according to an estimate it usually lasts between 8 to 12 years. How many years a water heater lasts is highly dependent on intensity of the weather that it has to endure, the quality of the installation, the kind of maintenance that you have provided your unit, and the design of the water heater.
If your water heater has outgrown its useful age, or is more than 10 years old and has developed leaking problems at the very base of the tank, or if it isn’t working properly, then it’s a good idea to replace it. However, before giving out the verdict on this issue, make sure that the problem is not due to some electrical fault like a tripped breaker or perhaps a fuse which has blown out. Such instances require that you get repairs done by professionals, like Mesa Plumbing Company. Or you could perform water heater repairs yourself depending on the severity of the problem.
The most common reason associated with poor performance of a water heater is that it isn’t warming the water to the right temperature. This problem is mostly due to a faulty thermostat or it is because of a heating element which is defected.
If the water isn’t heating enough, you might want to try the following steps:
Electric Water Heater
- Firstly ensure that the power supply to the water heater is connected properly. This can be done by resetting the thermostat.
- In order to remove the level of sediment from the tank, flush the tank.
- Ensure that the hot water pipes are properly insulated.
- If you find a problem with either the thermostat or the heating element then you might want to replace them with new ones.
- Also, try to raise the temperature on the thermostat as it will help in increasing the water temperature.
Gas Water Heater
- Similar to what you did with the electrical water heater, check the source first, which in this case will be the gas supply. This is indicated by a lit pilot.
- The second step is the same as that of the electrical heater, requiring you remove any possible sediment by flushing the tank.
- Next step is to ensure that the hot water pipes are insulated.
- The problem might also be caused due to a problem with either the gas burner, in which case you might try cleaning it, or the thermocoupler, which is safety device that shuts the gas supply automatically when the pilot goes off, which will have to be replaced.
- Lastly, you might want to raise the temperature through the thermostat.
Other problems that might be encountered include possible sizzling or hissing noises. These noises are indicative of sedimentary deposits in the tank. This can be fixed by draining the tank till the point that the water clears. Also your pressure-relief valve might start leaking in which case you will have to replace it.