water heater repair

Things That Could Go Wrong With Your Water Heater

Water Heater Service water heater repair

Water heater inspection being performed by a plumber

If you’re like almost everybody else in this world, you probably don’t give much thought to your water heater. It is an appliance that usually stays out of sight and out of mind. According to the Bob Villa website, tanked units typically last for eight to twelve years. However, that doesn’t mean problems can’t arise before that.

It is a good idea for homeowners to have their water heaters serviced by plumbers. The professionals can inspect and keep them performing at high levels. Leaving these devices as-is and hoping for the best can lead to plumbing emergencies. If your water heater stops heating, bursts, or does something else out of the ordinary, please, don’t hesitate to give us a call.

3 Signs Your Water Heater Is In Trouble

Water Heater Service water heater repair

Many homeowners don’t truly appreciate the importance of having reliable hot water until something goes wrong. Hot water has a wide range of daily uses within a home including washing dishes, laundry, taking a relaxing bath or shower, and so on. However, for you to have a constant flow of hot water, you need to ensure that your water heater is in good working condition.

In this article, we will take a look at three telltale signs that you need to call a plumber to have your water heater inspected and serviced.

A Water Heater Problem Can Be Serious

Water Heater Service water heater maintenance, water heater repair

For most home and business owners in the Columbus area, a water heater is not just a luxury; it’s a necessity. Few people on the lookout for a home or business property, for example, would buy a building with no hot water. From cooking to cleaning clothes to bathing, hot water is now an essential part of daily life and work activity.

However, the convenience of having hot water on a property does mean a responsibility to maintain that equipment. Water heaters make things incredibly convenient, but with enough neglect, they can fail to function, which is irritating. In the worst-case scenario, they can threaten the lives of residents or staff on a property.

A Bomb Waiting To Happen

For properties that use a traditional water heating system of a tank with a heating mechanism, this simple but effective system carries risk. In the same way that an automobile can catch fire and even explode under certain conditions, the same is true of a water heater that is not adequately cared for and has all safety precautions ignored.

If a water heater does explode, this can just as—or more—destructive than a car explosion. A water heater may effectively become a rocket. It’s only capable of exploding but having enough “thrust” to break through floors, ceilings, and even the roof of a building to cause catastrophic damage to a structure.

Why It Happens

There are a few different causes for a water heater to explode, but the one thing they all have in common is blocking the flow of water and creating a build-up of pressure within the heating tank itself. The most common causes of a pressure build-up include:

Sediment
Depending on the source, water pumped in even through municipal systems is not 100% free of particles. Minute amounts of sediment can come in with the water, and while this poses no health threat for those drinking the water or using it in cooking, it can build up. The sediment build-up can block the flow in a heating tank with enough time, leading to pressure build-up.

Faulty Parts
An anode rod is a steel core wire combined with aluminum, magnesium, or other metals, depending on the installation choices. It’s designed to protect the tank from rust or corrosion in the heating element, but it dissolves as it does this. An anode rod that is not replaced can cause a breakdown in a water heater that leads to malfunction.

Gas
Finally, some water heaters use natural gas as fuel. If anything occurs with the gas line, this is another way the heater and tank may explode.

What To Do

Fortunately, water heaters will give you plenty of warning before they do explode. If you see rust-colored water, or the water is not as hot as it used to be, don’t take chances. Get professionals to come in to inspect your unit and repair you water heater, if needed.

Water Heater Repair And Issues

Water Heater Service water heater repair

A new water heater

Water heaters have become a necessary household appliance because they help in supplying warm water for various uses. However, there are a few common problems when it comes to water heaters. A few examples include no hot water, leaks, not enough hot water, and more. In fact, most of us have encountered at least one of these problems at one point.

Below are causes of some of the most common problems and the ways you can take proactive measures to prevent expensive replacements and repairs.

How To Prevent Costly Hot Water Heater Repairs

Water Heater Service water heater repair

A gas water heater In most cases, water heater problems become apparent with little or no warning. You might notice some dripping or even puddling close to your hot water heater or hear strange gurgling and popping noises inside the tank. You might even notice that you are not getting any hot water out of the tap when turning it on. Despite the fact that you can contact your local gas company to solve certain problems such as the gas supply to your hot water heater or the burner on the hot water heater, you’re pretty much on your own with other problems.

Having some knowledge of how a water heater operates and being able to troubleshoot potential problems can go a long way to saving you and other homeowner’s a great deal of money in costly hot water heater repairs. However, for more difficult issues or problems that you are not skilled enough to deal with, we encourage that you contact a plumbing company like ours for water heater repair services. We know what to look for and how to correct these problems quickly and efficiently.

Hot water heater problems can usually be corrected without much delay. However, if you neglect or overlook and of the red flags that indicate the presence of a problem, more serious damage can occur as a result. The more common hot water heater problems that we typically experience when called out to a home include:

discolored or smelly water
leaking tank
not enough hot water
strange noises emanating from the tank
water that is not hot enough or too hot

These hot water heater issues are relatively easy to identify and can be dealt with in a timely manner. In most cases, the most common homeowner complaint that we receive is that the appliance is not heating their water in proper fashion or that their water gets too hot to use.

Since there is a considerable difference between the operation of an electric hot water heater compared to a gas operated one, most heating problems and the solution to them depends on the type of appliance that you have. Before you attempt to tackle these problems on your own and prior to calling a 24-hour emergency plumbing service, you should consider these 3 helpful tips regarding efficient, safe hot water heater operation and usage:

Check the temperature setting – it should be set around 150º (lower if there is no dishwasher or there are children or elderly individuals in the home).
Check your temperature pressure relief valve on a regular basis – this will keep excess pressure from building up and help you avoid more serious problems.
Insulate your hot water pipes – this minimizes the amount of energy required to heat your water and can prevent pipes from freezing.

For more information regarding hot water heater problems and how to troubleshoot them, Plumbing Emergency Columbus will be happy to answer any of your questions. Please contact us today.