If you have lived in your home long enough, you may need to replace your water heater. The water heater is a must-have in the winter season, and nobody wants to shiver cold under a shower spraying icing cold water. Heaters supply hot water to the taps for use continuously. Heaters are manmade and prone to error.
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Furthermore, wearing down with age is also a natural phenomenon because everything has a natural life, and it starts to malfunction. But it is crucial to know when wearing down happens to your water heater and what are its practical indications. If you are also curious about the things mentioned above, you are in the right place to get your answers.
Function and Types of Water Heaters
Before diving into the reasons why you should replace your water heater, it is essential to know the basics of water heaters. The primary purpose of the water heaters is to supply hot water to the required faucets and taps. Some modern heaters also allow you to customize the desired water temperature.
Two primary types of water heaters, the instant water heaters, and the storage water heaters serve the same purpose but in different styles. The storage water heaters store a large quantity of water and heat it to meet ample hot water requirements.
While the instant water heater heats the required water quantity instantly and does not have a big tank to store the water. You can choose any of the above depending on your requirements.
Why Should You Replace Your Water Heater?
In this section, we will discuss the reasons for replacing your water heater. The top five most common reasons are the crux of the story.
Age
Age is the most essential factor in the context of the health of everything, be it human beings or manmade machines. When the machines start aging, their efficiency reduces, and they require more maintenance to work properly. If you maintain the machines well over the years, their lifespan will increase significantly.
Usually, the storage water heaters have a life of 10 years with seven years of inner tank warranty. On the other end, instant water heaters typically remain good for seven years with a five-year inner tank warranty. You should plan water heater replacement before the end of its natural lifespan.
Water Leaks
When your water heater starts leaking water, and you see water puddling around your heater, it indicates that your heater is on the verge of completing its natural life. The purpose of leaks can be the deteriorated tank of the heater due to wear and tear over the years.
Therefore, if your heater is leaking water and your plumber does not find another reason except the aging of your heater, you must consider replacing your heater. However, leaks can also occur due to other reasons, so it is better to consult a professional in this case.
Insufficient Hot Water Supply
Imagine coming into the bathroom thinking that you will get refreshing hot water to take a bath, but you find that after a few seconds, the hot water vanishes away, and you get cool water suddenly.
After years of lifelong wear and tear of the water heater, you may notice that it does not supply an ample quantity of water. An insufficient hot water supply indicates that it’s time to invest in a new unit.
Sediments Collection at the Bottom of the Tank
The tank of the water heater is prone to rust-catching, and it requires good conditioning. However, if you use the heater in a place where the heater has to work on a hard water supply. Hard water contains sediments that accumulate sediments in the bottom of the tank.
The sediments can build up and damage the heater tank. These sediments even clog the drain line. Therefore, if the proportion of the sediments is too large, you should inspect the heater carefully and decide whether you need to replace it or not.
Unusual Sounds
When the water heaters get old, you can observe some unusual rumbling noises around your heater’s tank. These sounds may be due to the sediments bursting when the temperature of the stored water increases.
The unusual sounds indicate that the heater is on its way to retiring from its long career of heating water. However, you need to be attentive in the environment that you live in to observe these kinds of voices. Therefore, whenever you hear these unusual sounds around your water heater, you should plan to replace your water heater.
Conclusion
It is essential for you to know when you need to replace your water heater. The water heaters do give you some indications before it finally calls off. You need to know these indications and understand what they mean. These indications include unusual sounds, the presence of sediments, water leaks, and insufficient water supply.