Here's something most people never think about until they're standing in a cold shower: your water heater works harder in winter. As the weather turns and the water coming into your home gets colder, your heater has to work that much harder to warm it up. A unit that worked fine all summer will often pick the coldest, most inconvenient week of the year to give out, and it has a real talent for doing it while you've got a house full of holiday guests.
So fall is the smart time to pay attention to yours. Water heaters usually give you warning signs before they quit completely. Here's what to watch for, and what to do about it. (One additional note: the Treasure Valley’s hard water is tough on water heaters, so they tend to age a little faster here than the averages suggest.)
How long does a water heater last?
A standard tank water heater generally lasts 8 to 12 years. A tankless unit can go closer to 20. Our hard water, with all its minerals, can shave time off either one by building up sediment inside.
Want to know how old yours is? Check the label on the side for a serial number, which usually encodes the manufacture date, or look for an install sticker. If yours is past about ten years, it isn't necessarily done, but it has earned a closer eye.
What are the signs mine is failing?
A few tells, and most of them show up before the thing quits entirely:
- Rusty or discolored hot water. If the hot water runs rust-colored or cloudy, the inside of the tank may be corroding. That's the tank itself aging, and it's one of the more serious signs.
- Rumbling, popping, or banging from the tank. That's sediment that has collected and hardened on the bottom. It makes the heater work harder, run less efficiently, and wear out faster.
- Running out of hot water fast, or water that's only lukewarm. Could be a failing heating element or a bad thermostat, which are often repairable, or sediment eating into the tank's capacity.
- Creeping energy bills. A heater fighting sediment or age runs longer to do the same job, and you pay for it.
- Water pooling around the base. This is the one you don't ignore, so it gets its own section.
There's water around my water heater. How bad is it?
Potentially bad, so don't wait on this one. If water is pooling around the base and it's coming from the tank itself rather than a loose fitting, it usually means the tank has corroded through. A tank leak cannot be repaired, only replaced, and it gets worse, not better. A failed tank can dump forty or fifty gallons of water onto your floor, which is a genuine disaster in a finished basement or an upstairs closet.
Two things to do right now if you see this. First, know where your water heater's shutoff valve is, and your home's main shutoff, before you ever need them. Second, if it's a slow drip from a valve or a connection rather than the tank itself, that may be a straightforward fix, so it's worth having someone tell you which it is quickly.
Can it be repaired, or do I need a new one?
Depends on what failed. Plenty of water heater problems are repairs, not replacements, especially on a younger unit: a bad heating element, a faulty thermostat, a worn thermocouple or igniter on a gas model, a failed pressure-relief valve, or a spent anode rod.
You're usually looking at replacement when the tank itself is leaking, when the water runs rusty, or when an older unit starts stacking up problems. As with furnaces and AC units, a good rule of thumb is that if the repair costs a big fraction of a new unit and the heater is already old, you're better off replacing it.
Anything I should do to make it last?
A few things genuinely extend a water heater's life, which matters extra with our hard water:
- Flush the tank once a year to clear out sediment before it builds up and bakes on.
- Have the anode rod checked. It's a sacrificial metal rod that corrodes so your tank doesn't, and replacing a worn one can add years to the tank.
- Make sure the temperature and pressure relief valve works. It's a safety device, so it's not one to ignore or cap off.
- Set the temperature around 120 degrees. That's hot enough for a household, easier on the tank, and safer against scalding than cranking it higher.
One safety note for gas water heaters: like any gas appliance, they need to vent properly, and a venting problem can produce carbon monoxide, so keep those detectors working. And if you ever smell rotten eggs near a gas unit, that's a possible gas leak, so leave and call your gas company from outside.
The short version
Water heaters usually warn you before they fail: rusty hot water, rumbling from sediment, running out of hot water, rising bills, and water around the base. A leaking tank means replace, and soon, so know where your shutoff is. Fall is the time to deal with a struggling one, before the cold makes it work harder and before it quits on you over the holidays.
If yours is showing any of these signs, we're glad to take a look and tell you honestly whether it's a repair or a replacement. We handle water heaters right alongside your heating and cooling. We're a family-run shop covering Nampa, Caldwell, Meridian, Boise, and beyond, and you can get on our schedule at 208-455-5158.