3 Signs It’s Time To Start Looking For A Water Heater Replacement
If you’re like most homeowners across the country, you and your family depend on your water heater each and every day for a great deal of the comfort and convenience that you enjoy in your home, and if you’re like most homeowners, you have no idea what the signs are that your current hot water heater is about to fail. Fortunately, there are a number of signs you can be on the lookout for that can give you an early indication when your home's water heater is in danger of failing, and when it might be time for you to start looking around for replacement options. To assist you in determining when is the right time to start looking at water heater replacement options, our team of skilled Saugerties plumbers have taken the time to put together this short list detailing some of those signs in an effort to help you get a head start in preparing for this type of situation.
Age
It’s extremely important that you know the age of your home's water heater. You can usually find this by looking at the serial number on the manufacturer’s sticker. If your home's water heater is older than 10 years, it’s generally a good idea to start looking at replacement options. If your water heater is in a position where it won't cause significant damage if a leak occurs, you can wait for it to develop before having it replaced, but that is generally not recommended. If your water heater is in a location where a leak could cause serious damage, it’s probably in your best interest to have it replaced before any kind of leak springs up.
Rusty Water
If you notice that you have rusty water coming out of your faucets, especially if it’s only coming from the hot side piping of your home, it’s likely a surefire sign that your water heater is rusting away on the inside, and might be ready to spring a leak at any moment. Rust coming out of your hot water piping is usually a sign that you have rust forming on the inside of your hot water heater tank, which means that the structural integrity of your water heater could be compromised. A good way to test whether or not the rust is coming from your water heater or from your pipes is to drain a few five gallon buckets of hot water out of your water heater, and if by the third bucket the water is still coming out rusty, it’s likely originating from your water heater.
Rumbling & Noise
As your home's water heater ages, sediment is going to build up in the bottom of the tank, and when it’s heated and reheated, it will start to harden eventually. When this starts to happen, you will often start to hear rumbling or banging sounds coming from the water heater as it heats up. This is generally a good sign that your water heater is in need of a replacement. This buildup of hardened sediment means that your water heater will run less efficiently and over time, it will cause more and more damage to your water heater tank.