Without a doubt, the water heater is an important component of your plumbing system. As such, it should come as little surprise that water heaters are also a frequent topic of discussion here on our plumbing blog. Likewise, if you check out our Facebook or Instagram pages, you’ll see plenty of water heater content there as well! Long story short, water heaters are something that any plumber will deal with on a regular basis.
For those of you who are familiar with our plumbing blog, you likely know that we like to regularly provide helpful information about plumbing-related topics that any homeowner or facility manager can utilize. After all, the better understanding you have of your plumbing system, the better off you’ll be in limiting the amount of plumbing issues that you’re faced with. Simple enough, right? Having said that, considering water heaters serve an important role in the overall plumbing system, this week’s blog post will discuss the difference between a water heater repair and a replacement. As you can likely imagine, deciding between the two is an important decision as you don’t want to repair a water heater that will need to be replaced shortly after, just as you don’t want to replace a water heater that still has plenty of use left in it! With this week’s blog post, we’ll break down a few of the factors that will help influence your decision and hopefully also provide you with some new details about water heaters, in general!
How old is the water heater?
One of the first questions you’ll want to ask yourself is how old is your water heater? As you can probably guess, water heaters aren’t built to last forever and will eventually need to be replaced (if nothing else, from the wear and tear they experience on a daily basis). For starters, it’s worth knowing how long water heaters can be expected to last. Traditional tank-style heaters are generally going to last around 10-12 years, while tankless water heaters can easily go over 20 years. Keep in mind though that maintenance is an important part of the equation. With this, we’re referencing the importance of avoiding any procrastination on repairs, as well as staying up-to-date on routine maintenance (i.e. water heater flushes). In the end, if your water heater is experiencing issues and at or over the expected lifespan, a replacement will probably be at the very least worth a consideration!
Does it have an expansion tank installed?
Even though thermal expansion tanks are a required component for water heater installations nowadays, it’s not a bad idea to double check and make sure your water heater has one installed. The purpose of expansion tanks is fairly straightforward. As water heats, it expands in volume. When you add to the situation that a water heater tank has a confined capacity, you might wonder if the added pressure could cause troubles for your actual water heater. The answer is YES and issues will eventually ensue! Fortunately, with the implementation of an expansion tank, this additional tank that you’ll see towards the top of the water heater can absorb the added pressure/volume referenced above. All in all, just make sure your water heater has an expansion tank installed and if it doesn’t, call your local plumbing company immediately to get this taken care of!
Is it experiencing repeated issues?
Next on our list of water heater topics is actually one that can be applied to all plumbing components/fixtures. If you have a plumbing fixture/component that seems to keep having frequent issues, that could mean a couple different things. For one, it could be a sign that there’s something wrong with the specific fixture/component itself. Maybe a manufacturing defect if it’s still relatively new? Maybe wear and tear has simply caught up with it and a replacement is the smartest move? It could be a number of different items, but your go-to plumber should be able to guide you through the process. A second potential cause of consistent problems would be if the repairs aren’t completed correctly, thus causing future issues. While this one may be tougher to confirm (especially if you don’t have a plumbing background), you could always try another local company to know for sure. No matter the case though, constant issues with a specific plumbing fixture/component should be a sign that something isn’t right. And whether that means trying another plumbing repair or simply opting for a replacement, the decision will be up to you!
Which type of issues is your water heater experiencing?
We just talked about how repeated issues should raise some immediate concern that something isn’t operating properly. Whether that be the water heater itself or something that can be easily replaced (like an expansion tank or T&P valve), you may need a professional to check it out first. Nonetheless, as we close out this week’s blog post, we wanted to briefly highlight the different water heater issues that you may face. Some are more pressing than others, just as some will likely result in you needing a replacement (as opposed to a water heater repair). With that being said, what are a few potential water heater issues? An anode rod that needs to be replaced is a possibility. Have you ever run out of hot water? While this doesn’t necessarily signal your water heater needs replacing, it could be a sign that your water heater isn’t large enough if it repeatedly happens. How about if you notice any sitting water? If this is the case, you’ll want to determine where the water is from. Is there a leak in the actual tank itself or is it from the piping above? This answer will certainly impact the next steps! What if your water heater is making loud noises that seem to be out of the ordinary? If so, chances are this is the result of hard water. Remember when we mentioned above how a water heater flush is an important maintenance task? The reason for that is due to the adverse effects of hard water. Hard water results in mineral build-up occurring in your water heater tank. This increases the wear and tear on your water heater as it tries to continue doing its normal operations, and in turn, strange noises may start to appear at the same time.
Truth be told, there are quite a few potential water heater problems that homeowners and commercial facility managers may be faced with. This is why it can be beneficial to have a local plumber that you can call to decide between a water heater repair and a water heater replacement!
Water Heater Repair and Installation Services in Kansas City
Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, water heaters are a plumbing component that our team works on every single week! Whether that be residential, commercial or even new construction, we have plenty of experience tackling water heater-related projects. New installations, repairs, maintenance, you name it! Throughout this week’s blog post, we broke down the decision of choosing between a water heater repair and a water heater replacement. Given that a new water heater installation can be a decent-sized investment, it’s probably not something you want to invest in unless it’s absolutely needed, right?
Not sure if your current water heater can be repaired or if a replacement is necessary? Feel free to give us a call at (816) 348-3481 and we can help walk you through the process, as well as answer any questions you may have. To learn more about the water heater services we offer, feel free to click the link HERE.