Water heater damage can be a tricky thing not because it’s necessarily hard for a trained technician to repair but because most people rarely pay attention to their water heaters until the damage becomes impossible to ignore. Here in Chicago, IL, time and weather can take their toll on most water heaters, and while you can help it avoid big problems by scheduling regular maintenance, sooner or later your water heater is going to need repairs.
You should learn to watch for the signs of water heater damage. The sooner you can spot them, the faster a plumber can arrive to treat the problem and get your plumbing system back where it needs to be. We’ve provided a short list of possible signs below:
- Lack of hot water. This is the most common, and obvious, sign of a serious problem. If your hot water takes a long time to arrive at your faucet, if you run out of hot water quickly, or if the water never really gets hot to begin with, it’s time to take a look at your water heater.
- Discolored water. This is almost as obvious a sign as a lack of hot water. If your water tank is rusty or corrosion appears elsewhere in the system, flakes of rust and other discoloration are apt to appear in your tap water when you turn it on. This is especially the case when the discoloration appears with hot water.
- Gurgling noises. Frankly, any unusual noise from your water heater should be a cause for concern. Gurgling usually occurs when water passes through build-up on the bottom of your tank.
- Leaking can take place around the tank itself and anywhere along the system where a breach has taken place. It’s a serious problem and likely means that the heater itself will need to be replaced.
Once you’ve spotted signs of water heater damage, call the pros at Reliance Plumbing to help!