All of your appliances speak to you if you know how to listen. Their silence says that they are doing fine and you don’t have to worry about them. Other times, they will let you know when there is a problem.
The issue is that we don’t always know how serious the problem is. Take your hot water heater as an example. If it is making noise or your water is not hot enough then these are sure signs that there’s a problem. Should you fix it or replace it?
It’s not an easy question to answer so let’s take a look at some of the things to keep in mind when your hot water heater is not working properly.
Selling your home
If you are getting a home inspection done and you tell them that you’re having some problems with the water heater then they’ll tell you to replace it.
Any kind of plumbing, HVAC or water heater problem is going to sour a potential buyer on the price and they will likely talk you down. And it might be more money than what the cost to replace it would be.
This is a case where no matter what the problem is, you should just replace it with a new and efficient model so the buyer has one less headache to worry about when they buy.
Water too hot
If your hot water suddenly comes out scalding hot, then there is clearly a problem. Your water heater is overheating and this is causing the water to come out too hot. This needs to be dealt with immediately as it is a potential health hazard. Especially if you have small children at home that could easily get burnt.
It could be as simple as needing to replace the thermostat on the heater which is easy to fix and not expensive. You could potentially do it yourself if you are handy.
If the new thermostat doesn’t fix the problem then it is time to replace. This is not going to be an easy fix in this case.
Not enough hot water
On the flip side of the water coming out too hot is when you don’t get enough hot water. If your water is only getting to lukewarm no matter how you set the thermostat then this also means that that is the likely culprit.
Once again, replace the thermostat and see what happens. If it doesn’t help then it could be a faulty anode. That is the rod that heats the water and they don’t always last as long as the heater. This is not that big a deal to replace and is cheaper than replacing the heater.
Rumbling noises
Never ignore any strange noises coming from the water heater. These noises could signal bigger problems are about to come. You could be headed for a leak or even an explosion. Waterheaterreviewssite.com is one good site to get up-to-date water heater information, advice and top products.
It may simply be a case where you have hard water that is messing with the heating element, but it could be more serious than that. You’ll need a pro to come take a look.
