Signs You Need a New Hot Water Heater

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Your hot water heater works hard to keep hot water pumping to all your fixtures. It has to keep up with your family’s showers, cooking, dishes and laundry. Although they can last well over a decade, with its age comes with corroded internal parts or a buildup of minerals and that can decrease your water heaters efficiency over time.

Most homeowners don’t think about replacing their hot water heater until it breaks. Since they often start leaking from the bottom of the tank, where a lot of the sediment will build up, a broken hot water heater could lead to a flood in your utility room. Pete the Plumber in Calgary suggests you replace it before that happens. Here are some tell-tell signs you need a hot water heater replacement:

There’s pooling water around the hot water tank.

This is the most obvious sign something is wrong with your tank. It is leaking. If the leak is coming from the bottom of the tank, it’s pretty much game over for that tank. If it’s coming from the top or surrounding pipes, it could be salvaged with hot water heater repair. First,turn off the water supply at the cold water shut-off valve and then call Pete the Plumber for the best price on a hot water heater.

You’re always running out of hot water.

Sometimes that could be the case of everyone else getting a morning shower before you, but if you’re the first one in the bathroom it could mean you have a broken gas thermocouple. If you find yourself constantly turning up the temperature on your hot water heater could mean you have a problem.

Connecting parts on the tank look rusty.

Inside your hot water heater there is a sacrificial anode rod and it is the easiest part to rust. It’s purpose is actually to sacrifice itself for the other working parts in your tank. Rust and corrosion always happen at the easiest point and although their made to last they will eventually rust right through. If your anode rod has rusted through, corrosion will attack other parts of your tank. Learn how to replace an anode rod in a hot water heater or have it inspected by a professional plumber and if necessary, replace it.

The water tastes, smells and even looks strange.

If you find a metallic or mineral taste of the hot water, this usually means the inside of your tank are corroded or have a mineral build up, and is on the verge of breaking down. Sometimes you will be able to actually see sediment in the water or it will appear muddy or rusty. You can try draining and flushing your water heater, turning it off and expecting it for build up.

Here are some instructions on how to flush your hot water tank.

No water came out when you tried to flush your tank.

Overtime, sediment will build up at the bottom of your tank. If you don’t flush your tank regularly, at least annually, and remove that sediment it can cause deteriorate the bottom of your tank. That sediment will also block water flow when you try to flush the tank. This usually means it is time for a hot water heater replacement.

Calgary Plumbers

Pete the Plumber provides a wide variety of services for Calgary and surrounding areas, and handle everything from the smallest service such as a toilet repair, to a complete rough in of the plumbing for a basement bathroom. They also do heating, including installation of hot water tanks, service and replacement of furnaces, installation of air conditioners, and infloor heating. In addition, they have our own drain division at Pete the Plumber and are fully equipped with auger machines, camera equipment, and power flush machines.

If you suspect you need a new hot water heater, or have any other plumbing issues, contact Pete the Plumber! He is one of the best plumbers in Calgary.

 

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