Signs It’s Time for a New Water Heater

Most — but not all — water heaters last somewhere between eight and ten years, and while ten years is the recommended replacement age, sometimes the need arises much sooner. Again, if a decade has passed in the water heater’s life, it’s time to let it go and schedule a water heater replacement, even if none of these signs start showing up:

• Rust, either in the tank or the water
• Noises
• Leaks
• No longer heating water

Gas water heaters typically only last six to eight years, so if you’ve had the same one for the past seven or eight years, chances are, it’ll be time soon.

Rusty Pipes, Rusty Water, Rusty Anything

Rust showing up in your water is a serious problem that should be addressed immediately. It may be hard to tell if it is from the water heater or from the pipes that connect it to your faucet. But anytime you spot rust in the water, it’s possible that the water heater is the culprit.

An expired water heater is guaranteed to rust at some point, but it’s possible even before then. It can occur in any water heater, as rust is one of the few weaknesses steel has. If you were to examine yours and spot rust around the water inlet or pressure relief valve, there is probably rust inside the tank. The only solution would be to replace the water heater.

One way to tell if the rust is a tank problem or a pipe problem is to drain several buckets of hot water. If the third bucket of water is still rusty, the problem is definitely the tank.

Booms, Bangs, Pops… Water Heater Noise Is No Good

Like people, as water heaters get up there in age, they start making a lot of noises. As water heaters age, loud rumbling noises will become louder and louder as the water heats up. The typical cause of the rumbling is a build-up of sediment.

Sediment inevitably forms in the bottom of the tank as it gets used. Over time, the sediment hardens and thickens. This can lead to a number of problems:

• Inefficiency
  • The increased strain put on a water heater by the build-up of sediment consumes more energy when trying to heat water.
• Tank Damage
  • That extra time can turn the tank’s metal brittle, accelerating the chance a crack forms.

Noise caused by sediment build-up is a sign that a leak is coming eventually. However, if caught early, it can be flushed to prevent serious damage.

The water heater tank should be flushed (by a licensed plumbing professional) on an annual basis to rid it of any sediment. This helps to work more efficiently and extend the lifespan of the water heater.

If it still makes noise after that, there’s probably a more serious problem and it needs to be replaced.

Water on the Floor Instead of the Tank: Leaks

Water on the floor around your tank is pretty much never a good sign, but it is likely as water heaters need replacement toward the end of their lifespan. The most common cause is expansion in the tank. The thousands upon thousands of heating cycles we put our water heaters through causes the inner body of the tank to expand over time.

At first, the crack or gap will be small enough that it holds up, except under trying circumstances. But as the heating cycles continue, that gap will expand and the leaks will increase.

To rule out other issues before calling for a water heater replacement, check the following areas for moisture:

• Fittings or connections to the tank
• The temperature/pressure overflow pipe

If either area has moisture around it, there is likely an issue with the connections and a licensed plumber can be called out to fix it.

If these areas are dry, however, the problem is likely the tank itself.

The Water Heater Doesn’t Do Any Heating

There’s nothing worse than waiting forever for the shower or faucet to heat up. But what if it never does? A loss of heat to your water typically has three main causes:

• The thermostat is adjusted wrong
• The heating element is broken
• The tank is too small for the house

Those first two are easy fixes… The third? The only real solution is a new heater.

Let’s start with the obvious. Check where the thermostat is set to on the water heater. In order for your water heater to provide enough for the entire house, the settings should be somewhere between 120 and 140 degrees.

If your thermostat is in fact adjusted, but your water is still coming out cold, the issue could be the heating element. This doesn’t call for a whole tank replacement, but it is time to schedule a water heater repair. The fix should only take a few hours and you’ll be bathing in warm water yet again.

The third possibility is the most likely. As the number of people in the house using the hot water grows, the demands of the household could be too much for the existing water heater. In that case, the only solution is to get something more suited for your household’s needs.