Your water heater is probably the most underrated appliance in your home. Think about it – without a water heater, you couldn’t have any of these perks:
- Steamy showers
- Toasty baths
- Disinfected dishes
- Disinfected towels and sheets
- Hot water, period.
Given the significance of the water heater, do you really know enough about it? We’re here to give you a couple things to keep in mind when it comes to maintaining, servicing, and replacing your water heater.
The typical lifespan of residential water heaters is 10-12 years.
Natural gas and electric water heaters will commonly last about a decade before you need to look into replacing the system. If you are not sure what age your water heater is, the date the system was manufactured will be displayed in the serial number which is located on the label on the water heater tank.
Older water heaters are nothing to take lightly. A water heater that is a decade or older is at higher risk of springing a leak and causing water damage to your home. If your water heater sits in your attic or above the ground floor, the chance of catastrophic damage rises. Be sure you have your water heater maintenance annually to keep any leaks from causing damage to your home.
The most typical breakdown of residential water heaters that will entail replacement is a leaking tank.
It is a good idea to have your installer place the water heater in a drain pan with piping that enables the pan to drain outside your home and minimize the possibility of water damage. All water heaters should have a functional and reachable cut-off valve on the inlet water supply to the tank, and a ball-type valve on the gas supply. For electric water heaters, an electrical cut off should be located nearby.
If a water heater is “undersized,” in particular a gas water heater, the tank will fail in a shorter amount of time.
When a gas water heater is consistently emptied of hot water due to significant hot water usage, the gas burner discharges more frequently which can result in heavy condensation on the tank exterior. The condensation can result in more rapid deterioration of the steel tank. Additionally, the severe heat from the gas burner on the underside of the water heater tank can also deteriorate the glass lining on the inner section of the tank, which lowers the life expectancy of the water heater.
Water Heater sizing is an essential replacement issue.
The water supply cause all water heaters to be under pressure, and as water is heated, it grows creating even more pressure. When thinking about replacing a water heater, it’s usually better to go with a bigger 50 gallon tank, rather than a 30 or 40 gallon tank, providing the location will accept the larger size. The bigger tank will also give you more hot water capacity.