6 Signs You Need A New Water Heater In California
Eventually, every water heater needs to be replaced.
But since that isn’t often (unless you’re really mistreating it), it’s something that tends to sneak up on homeowners.
Unfortunately, that means that it’s often an emergency that they need to address suddenly.
But if you know how to identify the signs you need a new water heater, you can usually avoid that kind of sudden crisis scenario.
And if you want to keep things as predictable as possible, it’s good to also put a bit of effort into learning how to perform the routine maintenance that will keep your water heater in working order for as long as possible.
If you’re performing routine maintenance, you’ll also have more opportunities to spot and address the following signs you need a new water heater.
1. You Notice Damage Inside The Tank
After you’ve shut everything off and flushed out your tank, you can safely have a look inside it.
When you do that, you may notice some damage on the inside from corrosion and the accumulation of minerals over time.
This will be especially common if your anode rod is long past its replacement date.
That’s because, while a certain amount of this is almost unavoidable (especially if you live in a place with hard water), an anode rod is typically what helps mitigate it.
And if your anode rod is itself corroded to the point of not working effectively anymore, it obviously won’t be doing as good of a job at preventing the inside of your tank from corroding.
2. Water Temperatures Are Inconsistent
Specifically, hot water isn’t consistently hot.
After all, the main purpose of a water heater is to heat your water.
And if it’s not doing that, then you might need to get a new one.
This inconsistency in water temperatures can be caused by a few different things, like leaks and corrosion (which causes leaks).
The important thing, though, is that once the problem has already reached the point where you’re not consistently getting hot water, you’ll need to call a plumber.
Then, that plumber can assess whether the issue can be repaired or if it’s better to just replace the whole system.
While there is certain damage that can be repaired relatively easily, sometimes it’s just not worth it.
In those cases, especially when the water heater is already old, it’s best to simply replace the whole thing.
3. Leaking
There are a few different reasons your water heater could be leaking, but none of them are good.
In the best case, they might indicate that you need to repair your water heater, while in the worst case, they’ll be one of the clear signs you need a new water heater.
If the leaking is just caused by something being too loose and needing to be tightened, then great.
However, if it’s caused by a tank that’s corroded beyond use or repair, then it’s time for a new tank, and there’s just no way around it.
4. Rust Colored Water
There are few more obvious indicators that there’s corrosion inside your water tank than rusty-looking water coming out of your faucet or showerhead.
Don’t drink it.
That should go without saying.
But also don’t ignore it because it’s often one of the major signs you need a new water heater.
While it’s possible that the damage caused by the corrosion can be repaired well enough to solve the problem, it’s frequently already too late by the time you start seeing rust in your water.
That’s because this sort of thing probably won’t happen with a water heater unless it’s already pretty old or has just been severely mistreated.
5. You Hear Weird Noises
Ideally, your water heater should be running smoothly and quietly.
If it’s not doing that, then there’s likely some sort of problem.
Think of it this way: You don’t want to hear a rattling noise coming from inside your car.
It’s not because there’s anything innately wrong with a rattling noise; it’s because you know your car isn’t normally supposed to make that kind of noise.
Likewise, if you notice your water heater making noises that it didn’t make when you first got it, such as hissing or humming, it’s best to call a plumber ASAP.
6. It’s Just Old
The normal lifespan of a water heater can be anywhere from 8 to 25 years and varies wildly depending on the model, brand, use, maintenance, and other factors.
If yours is around that old or older, it might just be time to replace it.
At that age, even if there isn’t anything majorly wrong with it yet, it’s only a matter of time.
And it might make more sense to replace it on a day when that’s convenient for you instead of waiting until it completely fails, and then you’ve got an emergency that you have to take off work for.
Not great.
*Note: Even though a water heater can technically last up to ‘X’ years if treated very well, it’s still good practice to replace them every decade, just to be on the safe side.
Take Care of what You Have
We hope this article has helped you understand some of the most common signs you need a new water heater and that you’ll be able to catch them when they appear.
The key here, as with so many other things involving homeownership, is routine maintenance and proper care.
While your water heater will eventually need to be replaced, there are steps you can take to ensure that it lasts for as long as possible.
And when you do need to replace it, you’ll hopefully have an easier time of it because the other systems connected to your water heater, like your pipes, appliances, etc., have not absorbed the products of that damage (corrosion, etc.) as much as they might have if it had all just been left alone.
