Your water heater is probably the most underrated system in your home. Seriously – 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 truly know much about it? We’re here with a couple things to remember when it comes to servicing, maintaining, and replacing your water heater.
The average lifespan of residential water heaters is between ten and twelve years.
Natural gas and electric water heaters will commonly last about a decade before you need to look into replacing the appliance. If you are not sure what age your water heater is, the date the equipment 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 producing a leak and resulting in water damage to your home. If your water heater sits in your attic or above the first floor, the chance of catastrophic damage increases. Be sure you have your water heater maintenance annually to keep any leaks from damaging your home.
The most common 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 to the outside of your home and decrease the possibility of water damage. Every water heater 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 shut off should be located close by.
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 regularly emptied of hot water due to significant hot water usage, the gas burner fires more frequently which can result in heavy condensation on the outside of the tank. The condensation can create more speedy breakdown of the steel tank. Furthermore, 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 reduces the lifespan 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, presuming the location will accept the larger size. The bigger tank will also supply you more hot water capacity.