Winter is upon us and one of the most serious problems that we can face is a damaged water heater. Hot water is a necessity in this weather and it will help you in different facets to learn about water heaters to better care for them. Water heaters ensure that we get warm water in our bath and enjoy taking them regardless of the weather conditions.
Here, we will describe how water heaters work and then present the common heater problems that may destroy them, especially when you need them the most.
How Do Water Heaters Work?
A water heater works by first collecting cold water and then heating it using either gas or electricity. Take the example of an electric heater, which usually has two heating elements. Most of these heaters are tank-type water heaters, which mean that they always keep a supply of hot water available for use.
Water is collected through a dip tub at the bottom of the tank, which triggers the thermostat, which starts the heating function. The tank is usually a large cylinder and requires considerable space. You will often find it installed in your cellar or in a concealed area, since it is not a pretty site with its many plumbing connections.
These days, there are also tankless water heaters in use. These heaters employ a direct heating method only activated on demand. This saves energy, because the heater does not have to operate when you do not require water. However, these heaters have limited capacities and cannot provide service to all water fixtures in the house. They also produce their particular heater problems, which may mean that they require the services of, specially trained plumbing professionals.
Common Water Issues
There are several heater problems that will mean that you cannot rely on them, when you need them the most during the winter months. Here, we describe the most important and serious of these issues that you should resolve before the weather takes a turn for the worse, and it becomes impossible to survive without warm water.
Build Up of Sediments
If you have been using your heater for a few years, then one problem that you may face is due to the sediment build up inside the tank. It may produce a characteristic smell close to the tank, but since it is a closed system, you may never get an early warning of many heater problems, such as sediments.
This build up significantly reduces the capacity of the water heater. You may find out about this problem, when your water heater fails to consistently deliver warm water, especially if multiple hot water fixtures are used around the house. The low amount of water present in water heaters is quickly used up, when drawn from several fixtures.
This problem can often be detected when a water heater produces a sound after being in operation for a few minutes. This happens due to the burning sediment present at the bottom of the tank. If left untreated, it can destroy the entire system, which will need to be replaced.
Heater Noise
Another problem is to hear heater noise, apparently without any reason. This may happen due to any reason, such as a damaged heating instrument or something clogged inside the tank surface. This is one of the key heater problems that can be hard to detect. This happens because the water heater is mostly out of your sight and hidden in an appropriate location.
You can ensure that you find out about this problem, by checking on your water heater from time to time. This will help you identify any issue at the earliest and then take professional plumbing help to resolve the issue, before it causes a plumbing emergency in the form of stopped water flow or burst pipelines.
Wrong Water Temperature
One of the water heater problems is to get warm water at the wrong temperature. This can happen on both sides of the mercury. You can either get cold water or extremely hot water that may burn your skin. Just remember, did your heater go through any repairs lately? This problem is mostly caused by a faulty thermostat or one, which is wrongly positioned.
You should first try to resolve it by yourself, by changing the thermostat position according to the current water temperature. You will find that the problem is resolved in most cases. If the problem is still not resolved, you may need professional plumbing support to check other parts, such as the heating element or the water supply valve.
Lack of Hot Water
Sometimes, you start with hot water and then it suddenly starts to run out. If you find that this is happening on a regular basis, then the actual problem is that your use has exceeded the capacity of your current water heater. You should either get a much larger water heater to meet your increasing needs or look towards installing tankless water heaters in different parts of your house.
Both options will allow you to resolve this hot water issue and ensure that you can always depend on receiving hot water from your plumbing system. However, you will need to place significant investment in your house to perform these solutions. A good way to go about these solutions is to take the advice of a certified plumbing company and ask them to suggest the best solution for your hot water needs.
However, sometimes the lack of hot water may be due to a change in temperature. Your plumbing is often long and the water must travel several feet to reach the fixture. In cold weather, the plumbing may become extremely cold as well, therefore, the traveling water may lose a lot of its warmth. You can resolve this by putting the thermostat on higher heat, or look for a better plumbing solution to improve the system efficiency.
These are some common water heater problems that you may face, especially when the winters approach and the conditions change. You can always hire Mesa Plumbing Company to check your water heaters and ensure that they are ready to support you during the winter months!