Signs Your Hot Water System Needs Replacing

Do you know the signs that your water heater isn’t quite performing at its best? For most people, the water heater, while something they use on a daily basis, isn’t something they actively think about until something fails. And once you reach the point of no hot water, things take a pretty drastic turn.

But the truth is, your water heater will have been giving out signals long before it fails. And we’re going to look at what a few of these are in this post.

Hot Water Running Out Faster Than Usual

If your household’s hot water supply used to last through everyone’s morning shower and now it doesn’t, then this is a sign the system is no longer performing as it should be. Storage systems will lose capacity as sediment builds up in the tank. And this will reduce the amount of water that can actually be heated and held at temperature.

If your demand hasn’t changed yet, your supply has, or your system is over ten years old, and this scenario is becoming more frequent, it’s unlikely that sediment flushing will resolve the problem, and a replacement is usually the right decision here.

Water is Taking Too Long to Heat Up

If your system is taking far longer to heat the water up, chances are it’s working far harder than it needs to be, and this is putting strain on the system as a whole. The cause is usually a failed heating element in the electric system, a burner issue in the gas system, or simply a unit that’s aged and can no longer perform as it once did.

Pay attention to how long it’s curing your hot water to reach the required temperature and monitor it over time to see if this duration increases. If it does, it’s time to consider researching new hot water systems for an upgrade.

There’s Rust or Discolouration in the Water

Rusty or discoloured water is usually one of the clearest signs that something is wrong with the system. It’s an indicator that the inside of the tank is corroding, and this happens when the anode rod — the component designed to protect the tank from rust — deteriorates and loses its effectiveness.

Once corrosion has started, there’s no reversing it. Discoloured water is also a health and safety concern,  and your first thought needs to be getting the system replaced entirely.

However, something to think about is that the reason for the rust isn’t always the system. It might be the pipes, and replacing the system won’t rectify the issue unless you replace the pipes too. Running both the hot and cold taps should help you determine the cause of the rust. If it comes from both taps, it’s the pipes; if it’s the hot water tap only, it’s the system.

The System is Making Unusual Noises

You should expect a certain amount of noise from your system generally. But if you’re noticing new noises or noises have increased in volume or frequency, then there’s something going on that needs to be looked into. Popping, banging, cracking, and rumbling typically come from the sediment that has settled at the bottom of the tank, and this settlement will have hardened, causing the tank to work harder, generating the noise in the process.

Note: This is a collaborative post