A good storage tank water heater that received a professional installation should last you more than a decade without any significant loss of heating power or hot water volume. You may need to schedule an occasional repair for it, however, and you must remember to arrange for an annual inspection and tune-up from a professional.
When your water heater is more than 10 years old, start looking for signs that it is ready for a replacement. You can call on a water heater technician to look over the system and give you advice about whether repairs are still worthwhile or if it’s time to put in a new water heater.
Here are some signs to watch for:
- Decline in hot water volume: Are you receiving less hot water than usual, and people in your home are going with cold showers in the morning? Unless the issue can be fixed with a basic repair (such as replacing a broken dip tube) this is a strong indicator of a system that is too worn down to do its job any more.
- Drop in water temperature: When the water simply won’t get as hot as it used to, the water heater is probably past its prime.
- Increase in energy bills: If the cost to run the water heater continues to rise month after month, even with repairs and routine maintenance, then the system has turned too inefficient to warrant keeping it.
- Corrosion: A water heater has safeguards designed into it to prevent corrosion from occurring. When corrosion does start to appear on components, it usually means the water heater is close to the end of its service life. Also watch for a rust-colored taint in the hot water coming from the taps, which indicate that rust has infiltrated the tank.
For professional help from skilled technicians when you think you need to replace your water heater, call on the Alexandria, VA experts at OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration, Inc.
