With winter time here, our minds are on our heating systems—is yours working efficiently? Do you have any repair needs that should be handled right away? These are very important questions, of course, but there is another appliance that often gets overlooked or taken for granted in homes throughout the country, even though it’s needed all year long—and that’s the water heater.
Consider the amount of strain that a water heater endures. It works 365 days a year. There is no way you can expect it to work 100% free of problems in that time, particularly without investing in annual maintenance and prompt Olympia, WA water heater repairs as needed.
Regardless of whether or not your water heater was maintained within the last year though, there are some symptoms a water heater displays when it is struggling that should never be ignored. Keep reading to learn what these symptoms are.
Decline in Hot Water Volume
Have you noticed that members of your household have begun complaining about going with lukewarm or cold showers in the morning? If this is a new problem, and there used to be plenty of hot water for everyone during the morning, then your water heater is likely losing heating power. This is actually one of the most common signs that a water heater needs repair. Or, if it’s old enough, it may need to be replaced at this point.
Discolored Water
First off, you should never ignore this, as it’s unhealthy! If discolored water is coming from your hot water taps and not your cold water taps, then the problem is almost certainly with your water heater or the pipes connected to it. This means there’s too much sediment inside the hot water tank, or that your tank is suffering from corrosion, which brings us to our next point:
Corrosion
Water heaters are designed to resist corrosion for most of their service life. Tank water heaters are able to do this thanks to a component called an anode rod, which absorbs the rust created by water meeting metal. It’s during maintenance that this anode rod is checked and replaced periodically. If it’s not checked and replaced, though, then eventually the anode rod will wear out and the corrosion affecting it will begin to impact the water heater tank itself.
Leaks
It’s never a good sign to see water pooling around the base of your water heater. The only place you should ever see water escape is from the pressure relief valve. Water coming from anywhere else indicates a serious problem that needs to be fixed before the leak gets worse, and to ensure that you aren’t in harm’s way due to pressure buildup.
Rumbling Noises
This sound can be alarming. While it probably doesn’t mean anything serious is going to occur right then and there, it still should not be ignored. It can mean that the water pressure inside the tank has increased, or there is a buildup of sediment along the bottom of the tank. It might even mean that you have a broken expansion tank, or there’s cold and hot water mixing at the top of the tank due to a broken dip tube.
No matter what problem you’re experiencing, whether you need repair services for your water heater or are ready to upgrade to a newer system, we are the team to call.
Contact Brooks Plumbing Co. today!
