Jan
29
“My water heater is 8 years old, and lately I’ve noticed it takes longer for the hot water to appear, and it never really seems to be all that warm. Is that a sign of needing a new hot water heater? Should I just replace it rather than have a plumber out to repair it?”
The average life of a water heater is 10 to 12 years, so you may still have life in your water heater. But of course it’s impossible to know without actually looking at the water heater itself.
In many cases, people notice a drop in the water temperature this time of year. With the cold Colorado nights we’ve been having since November, your water heater is having to work overtime to keep hot water available for your family.
Beyond the cold weather, you may also be experiencing mineral deposit buildup in your tank.
Tank water heaters have a steel tank with a fiberglass liner that prevents it from rusting prematurely. The water heater has a burner and a temperature sensor located at the bottom, which keeps the water at the temperature you set. As the burner turns on and heats the water, its also separating dissolved minerals from the water, and allowing them to accumulate back down at the bottom of the tank.
Here in Colorado, we have different qualities of water, depending on which part of the city you live in. So the amount of mineral accumulation will vary greatly. If you haven’t flushed these minerals out in awhile, that could potentially be your problem. The more sediment you have, the more your heater will have to work at heating the water.
If you hear gurgling noises coming from the tank, it may be a sign of heavy accumulation of sediment. Water may be getting trapped in the sediment, and be turning to steam as the water heater continues to work. The harder it works, the more it’s costing you in efficiency and in your gas prices.
At 8 years old, you still may have a few years of life, depending on the true problem. Our plumbers can service your hot water heater, and give you the best course of action for fixing or replacing your system.
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