An electric water heater is among the essential items in your home. This equipment provides hot water in all water outlets in your home whenever you need it.
Although electric water heaters are designed to serve you for a long time, this equipment may develop issues and inconvenience you in several ways. This article highlights five common water heater problems you should never ignore.
1. Strange Noises
When you use your water heater, you may hear some sounds due to normal contracting or expanding in the pipes. However, your water heater may produce strange noises like banging, knocking, popping, and hissing after some time.
Often, strange noises from your water heater result from sediment build-up on your water heater’s elements. Too much scale build-up at the bottom of the water heater’s tank can also make the equipment produce strange sounds.
Strange water heater noises can be alarming. Nevertheless, you can easily fix this problem by flushing your water heater. If the issue persists, you can call a professional plumber to help identify and fix the problem.
2. Rusty Colored Water
Sometimes you may notice your water heater starts producing rusty-colored water. Rusty-colored water usually indicates a corrosion issue within your tank. Also, if your anode rod rusts, your water heater may produce dirty water.
The best way to handle this issue is to replace the anode rod. If your tank still produces dirty water, you may have to replace the tank.
3. Leaks
Water leaks are among the most common water heater issues you may have to deal with. Water heater leaks can be dangerous since they may cause flooding in your home.
Most times, water heater leaks occur when there is corrosion in your tank. However, water heater leaks don’t always indicate an issue with the tank. If the source of the leak seems to be at the top of your tank, there could be a loose water connection issue. To solve this problem, you need to check whether the water inlet and outlet pipes are strongly connected.
On the other hand, if the leak comes from the bottom of the tank, it may be due to condensation. You can quickly solve this issue by turning the thermostat up.
Other causes of water heater leaks include incorrect water pressure, overheating, and a stuck valve.
4. Long Recovery Period
Generally, electric water heaters take a longer time to reheat the water than gas water heaters do. However, if you notice that your heater takes longer than usual to reheat water, there could be an issue.
Some of the common reasons why your water heater may take ages to reheat include:
- Scale build-up on water heating elements
- Defective water heating elements
- Bad thermostat
- Small tank capacity
A water heater with a long recovery time can inconvenience you, especially when you are in a hurry. Once you notice this issue, you need to ask a professional plumber to replace the faulty parts. You should also consider replacing your water tank with a bigger one or buying the tankless model.
5. Smelly Water
When using hot water in your home, you may notice a rotten egg smell. The main reason your water smells bad is bacteria build-up, especially if you depend on a well as the main water source.
You can fix the smelly water problem by boiling the water in your tank at the highest temperature for about one hour. This way, you will kill the bacteria. During this period, you need to avoid using hot water and ensure you inform every member in the house. Otherwise, the water may cause serious burns. If this option doesn’t work, flush your tank with high chlorine concentration water.
Once you notice any issue with your water heater, you need to call a professional plumber to help you fix the problem. If you ignore the signs, the issues may escalate and cause serious problems. If you need any water heater service, contact First Class Plumbing.