No homeowner ever wants to find themselves without hot water in their home, but the reality is that over time, your water heater is going to run into problems. The average traditional water heater lasts for about 10 years, and it’s a rare homeowner who doesn’t need to call for water heater repair in Florence, SC, at least once before that timespan ends.
Because of that, it’s important for you to recognize the signs of a problem with your water heater so that you don’t get caught without hot water when you really need it. Paying close attention to the little things in your home is often the best way for you to prevent a disaster, and that’s especially true when it comes to water heaters. Here are a few reasons you might want to call for an expert!
You obviously want your hot water to come out of the faucet hot, but there is a limit to this. If the water is coming out at scalding temperatures, you aren’t going to be able to get much use out of your water before it cools down to the point that it’s no longer usable.
In this case, the most likely situation is that your water heater’s thermostat has a malfunction of some kind, and if you don’t address it quickly, your water is going to keep coming out at the wrong temperature. A water heater repair expert can help you figure out why the thermostat is having problems and come up with a real solution that gets hot water where it needs to be at a temperature that your home can use.
When your water heater operates properly at your home, it does so in total silence so that you don’t even notice it. In that respect, your water heater is kind of like an offensive lineman: when you do start to notice it, it’s probably time for a different solution to the problem. In this case, noise from your water heater likely means that sediments have collected in the tank, which can make it harder to get hot water where it needs to be. It can also cause rust in your water and give it a reddish or brownish color, neither of which are pleasant. When your home’s water heater starts to make strange sounds, it’s time to call in a water heater repair expert.
If your water comes out the wrong color, that’s a certain sign that you’ve got a problem with your water system somewhere. But if you’re in need of water heater repair, the problem will exist only when you opt to use hot water. That’s because cold water won’t go through your water heater’s tank and won’t run into the sediments that might have accumulated in the tank over the years.
If that’s the case, you’ll know that the problem is sediments and rust in your water, which requires the touch of a water heater repair expert. Because the water in your tank is heated to very high temperatures, you should never attempt to make repairs to it on your own. This is a job for a seasoned professional who has seen many kinds of plumbing systems and knows how to fix the issue in your Florence, SC, home for the first time.
If you’ve picked up a smell that resembles rotten eggs, you don’t have time to wait around and try to solve the problem. You need to call a water heater repair expert right away, because a smell probably means there’s an issue with the gas heating element that keeps your water heater’s contents at the appropriate temperature. As with the hot water in the tank, this is not an issue to mess with on your own, no matter how many times you’ve seen someone do it themselves online. This is a potentially dangerous situation that requires the knowledge and skill of an expert to fix it right and eliminate the issue.
Obviously, if you’ve had a few friends over or you’ve invited family over for the holidays to your home and everyone’s been using the shower, there’s a reason for a lack of hot water in your home. But if you’re running out of hot water regularly and there are no extenuating circumstances, you need to call for a water heater repair expert as soon as possible.
Your water heater is meant to hold a certain amount of hot water and keep it properly heated at all times (this is why your system is always using either electricity or gas, because the water in the tank is heated so it will come out hot any time). For most people, their water heater is more than big enough to hold the amount of water they need to use at once in a typical day. Obviously, you probably can’t run the dishwasher, the washing machine and the shower all at once, but you shouldn’t run into any issues with your hot water when you’re only using one device at a time.
If you do start to run out of hot water on a regular basis, the problem likely lies with something getting in the way of your water heater’s ability to get hot water to the faucet properly. In older heaters, this is a common problem as the metal in the tank begins to rust, and the solution is almost always a comprehensive water heater repair.
If you’ve spotted any of these signs, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Florence is just a phone call away from getting to your Florence, SC, home. Our punctual plumbing team has the skill to handle water heater repair as well as any issues with your drains and pipes that prevent water from getting where it needs to go. Contact our team today for assistance!
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