Signs That You Need to Ask Santa for a New Water Heater This Year

Do You Need to Add a New Water Heater to Your Holiday Wishlist?

Rudolph and Santa are heroes of the holiday season, but one of the forgotten heroes is the home’s water heater. As the holidays close in, the wintery temperatures move in and make a warm home and a hot shower even more enjoyable. A water heater can give years of faithful service, but the consistent work that it does can cause it to fail at very inconvenient times. By knowing the signs, a homeowner can predict when a water heater is having trouble keeping up and make plans to replace it before it leaves families out in the cold. 

Aging Hot Water Heater

Homeowners can tell the life expectancy of a hot water heater by checking the label plate. Most manufacturers warranty their tanks for a certain number of years. Once this time is up, homeowners lose their protection from the tank’s warranty. Because of the wear and tear put on a water heater over the years, the warranty period becomes a good indicator that it is time to consider replacing the water heater. 

Water heaters constantly work to provide hot water to a home, and the repeated expansion and contraction of heating cycles as well as the scale from hard water can quickly take their toll on a water heater. Once a water heater has outlived its warranty, problems such as repairs and loss of efficiency can make it more practical to replace the water instead of paying for repairs and high utility bills. 

A good way to prolong a water heater's lifespan is by performing regular maintenance.

Leaking Storage Tank

Water and metal don’t mix. This is unfortunate because water tanks are metal. Water heaters are lined with special glass linings that do their best to prevent the water from rusting the metal, but over time damage gets done, and the tank will start to leak. When tanks begin to leak, there isn’t much anyone can do to stop it. Because the tank is glass-lined, welding is not an option for repairing the tank. It must be replaced. 

Sometimes tanks can begin to leak from the fittings located at the top of the tank. If this is the case, these can usually be repaired by a professional. If homeowners notice these fittings leaking, they should have them repaired immediately because they will quickly worsen and could do irreparable damage to the fittings in the tank. 

What Causes Discolored Water?

Discolored hot water is caused by contaminants that have precipitated inside the hot water tank. Discolored water usually comes in two colors: gray and red. Reddish water is typically an indication that the inside of pipes or the inside of a hot water tank is rusting and leaching the rust into a home’s water supply. 

Grayish water is an indication of scale build-up on the inside of a hot water tank. The scale is the result of high mineral content in municipal water supplies. Often, the gray-colored water is accompanied by knocking sounds when the water heater’s burner is on. This indicates that lots of sediment has settled at the bottom of the water heater, impeding its efficiency. 

Contacting a professional plumber is always the best solution for homeowners facing issues with discoloration and mineral buildup. 

About Honest Abe's Home Services

Honest Abe’s Home Services is a plumber located in Osage Beach, MO. They make customer satisfaction their number one goal, whether they are providing plumbing services or HVAC services. Their Presidential Partnership Plan helps homeowners protect their homes from plumbing, HVAC, and mold problems and gives them priority placement for service calls. Give Honest Abe’s Home Services a call today for water heater services in Osage Beach.

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