No matter what time of the year it is and no matter what the temperature is outdoors, there is one heating system you’ll always be using within your home—the water heater. It’s easy to take this appliance for granted, and the fact that you’ll get hot water from the taps whenever you need it.
Think about the amount of stress a water heater undergoes though—it works 365 days a year. Therefore, you can probably understand that you can’t expect it to work 100% free of malfunctions throughout its entire lifespan. At some point, you might need to invest in professional water heater services in Wilmette, IL, in order to have your system repaired, or potentially even replaced. Of course, it helps to know the warning signs that something has gone wrong with your water heater, which we’ve covered below.
Sign #1: A Drop in Hot Water Volume
If you noticed that people in your household are complaining about lukewarm showers in the morning, and it’s a new occurrence, then your water heater is probably losing heating power. If there used to be sufficient hot water for everyone in the morning, then you almost certainly have a water heater that needs repairs, or potentially even to be replaced.
Sign #2: Water Discoloration
Are you seeing brownish or rust colored water coming from your taps? If it’s coming from your cold taps as well as your hot water taps, then you may be dealing with pipe corrosion within your plumbing system. However, if it’s only coming from the hot water side, then it’s likely that your anode rod has rusted through, and now the rust is impacting the water heater tank itself with corrosion. Unfortunately, if it’s reached that point, you will need to replace the water heater.
Sign #3: Rumbling Noises from the Tank
This sound is understandably alarming—is your water heater about to explode? Fortunately, probably not. However, this is still not a noise you want to hear coming from your water heater. It could mean an increase in water pressure within the tank, sediments along the bottom of the tank, a broken expansion valve, or cold and hot water mixing at the top of the tank due to a broken dip tube. To determine the cause, it’s vital that you discuss this problem with a professional.
Sign #4: Leaks
You never want to see water pooling around the base of your water heater. The only place that you should ever see water drip from is the pressure relief valve. If you see it coming from anywhere else on your water heater, it needs to be fixed before it becomes a serious issue.
It’s important to remember that whether it’s a repair need or you’re looking to replace your water heater that you only rely on professionals for the job. Amateur work can potentially damage your water heater even more—and if you have a gas-powered water heater, it can be dangerous, and illegal for an unlicensed individual to work on.
For expert plumbing service, installations, or maintenance contact Reliance Plumbing Sewer & Drainage, Inc. Our knowledgeable plumbers serve the North Shore and Northwest Chicago suburbs. Rely on Reliance!