Modern water heaters are built to last!
The modern water heaters use advanced technologies and come with long warranties, and are believed to run trouble-free for many years to come.
However, your water heater experiences heat, cold, and other components over time. This makes the appliance work prone to errors.
While it’s true that many errors that occur are minor and can be easily taken care of with the right maintenance practices, most people simply take for granted of having a trusted water heater like Trutankless Water Heater.
This is the reason why we are here. We have received too many questions regarding water heating problems and the probable solutions.
Seeing how so many of our readers are having problems, we decided to create a list of problems and attack a solution along with it.
But, Before We Start!
Before we can talk about the problems one can face while using a water heater, it is important that you know the different types of water heaters.
There are five main types of water heaters –
- Tankless water heater.
- Conventional water heater.
- Solar water heater.
- Heat pump water heater.
- Condensing water heater.
Each type of water heater comes with its own technological advancement and efficiencies. So, it is well worth at least having an understanding of the different water heating types.
- Conventional Water Heater: Conventional water heaters are among the most popular water heaters used worldwide. They come in a feature water tank size where water is stored and warmed.
- Tankless Water Heater: Tankless water heaters are the new breakthrough in water heating technology. There are no tanks. Instead, the water is passed through a heated coil warming the water.
- Solar Water Heater: Solar water heaters depend on the sun for their functioning. This type of water heater uses solar cells to heat the water.
- Heat Pump Water Heater: It is one of the hybrid water heating products that are capable of heating water without actually getting any heat.
- Condensing Water Heater: While condensing water heater works on the same principle as the conventional water heating method, the only difference is that it uses the hot exhaust gasses that would normally exit the home. Pipelines can be used to redirect the heat to heat the water.
Common Water Heater Problems & How To Fix Them
Your water heater works too hard to ensure you get hot water for your taps and appliances. However, one day you wake up to find you have no hot water.
Occasional problems with household appliances are common occurrences. You cannot expect any appliances to work till the end of their life without causing problems.
Hence, it is important that you follow the right maintenance practices. And even after following the right practices, if you are facing problems, the following tips might help you out.
1. No Hot Water
The whole purpose of having a water heater in your home is to get hot water whenever you want. However, when you don’t get the water, you need to work methodically to see what is wrong with your water heater.
The methods will depend on what type of water heater you have in your home.
For instance, if you have an electric water heater, the most obvious thing to check when you are not getting hot water is to check the circuit breaker. If the circuit breaker has tripped, it is a simple fix.
If there is nothing wrong with the electrical circuit panel, then there is the possibility of having faulty heating elements. Test your appliances for any faulty parts and replace them.
2. Water Too Hot
This happens a lot. You turned on the tap to wash your face. But the water is hot enough to give you a burning sensation on your face.
This usually happens when the thermostat is set at too high a temperature. As there is nothing wrong technically, you can easily solve this problem. Simply turn down the thermostat, and you are good to go.
If this doesn’t do the trick, there might be some problem with the temperature-pressure valve. If this valve is faulty, the rising temperature does not stop even after reaching the optimum temperature.
While this might seem like a small problem that people can overlook, it is a dangerous situation where people’s life is at risk. Therefore, you need to immediately replace the valve.
3. Water Takes Too Long To Heat
Yet another common problem people face while using a water heater is that it takes a long to heat water. This usually happens because of faulty thermostat elements.
If you have been using your water heater for quite a while, you will notice the differences in the time taken to warm the water.
Check your water heater and its parts to see what’s wrong with them. If you find any faulty parts, replace them.
However, if you are using a gas-powered water heater, chances are there is something wrong with the burner.
Over the prolonged usage of the gas burner, it starts eroding. The corrosion blocks the surface, making it impossible for the heat to spread equally. This acts as a barrier and prevents the water from heating.
4. Dirty Water
Corrosion is something that can affect anything. If the metal is exposed to moisture and oxygen, no matter how protective that metal is, rust is imminent. Your water heater is no exception.
If you turn your tap on and dirty water starts flowing – it is probably rust. When rust has taken over the inside of the tank, the only solution is to replace the tank.
However, don’t just replace your tank right away. There are times when anode erosion also results in dirty water coming out of the faucet.
In that case, simply replacing the anode can do the trick.
5. Tanks Makes Noises
No matter what home appliances we are talking about, if it is making an unusual noise, chances are something is wrong. Depending on what type of noise you are getting, you will be able to understand what problem needs to be addressed.
Noisy units are more common than traditional tanks or tankless water heaters. Now, just because we have said that noise means something is wrong, it doesn’t always mean wrong.
Instead, some noise simply indicates that the appliance is working smoothly.
You must differentiate between the different noises and identify the noise that is different from normal.
So, why do you hear different noises from the water heater?
- A dirty fan system.
- Burner issues.
- A sealed combustion leak.
6. Smelly Hot Water
Have you ever turned on your faucets to smell rotten eggs? This is one of the most common water heater issues and has a simple solution.
If you are using a conventional water heater, it is likely that the anode rod is giving out that smell. This is because the anode rods are the ones that heat the water when electricity is passed through it.
The corrosive nature of the anode rod can mix with water and react to create Hydrogen sulfide gas. This is where you smell the rotten eggs.
The solution to the smelly hot water is quite simple.
Either you clean the anode and smelly water or simply change the anode rod. The lifespan of an anode rod is somewhere between 4 and 5 years.
Because of the short life expectancy, experts ask you to have two anode rods to last the unit’s full life cycle.
7. Inadequate Water Pressure
While this is a problem with water heaters, you must understand that low water pressure can also be caused by old water pipelines.
If you live in an old home with smaller water pipes, the flow of the water is restricted by many barriers before it can actually come out of the tap.
With the old pipeline, magnesium and calcium began to form in the interlining of the pipes. This reduces the overall diameter of the pipes, making the pipes even smaller.
The only way to eliminate this hot water inadequate water pressure is by replacing your old pipes with new wider pipes.
However, if you cannot invest in new pipes, the only thing you can do is clean your water pipes for calcium and magnesium deposits.
All Problems Have A Solution!
Most water heater issues can be avoided with annual maintenance. If you can follow the best practices to keep your water heater healthy, you will find your water heater is running smoothly for years to come.
To ensure such a thing, you must ensure that you identify the problem early and take care of it before it becomes a real mess.
We hope that you learned something important and will be able to use it in the future. We will be waiting for your response on how well the methods worked for you.
While we have talked about some of the common problems that you can face using a water heater, you might have a few questions to ask.
You can use the comment section to place your question. We will ensure every question gets an answer.
