The first clear sign the replacement or repair of a water heater is on the horizon is when orange water is coming out of the water spout. A full flush and drain can be performed if it’s repair that you need instead of full replacement. But replacement may be your only option if you have not properly maintained it over time.
Until a person’s bathed in orange water and emerged from the tub feeling scummy, not clean, or until ruining a load of whites washing them in rust-colored water, chances are a homeowner may procrastinate when it comes to preventive water heater inspections. It’s easy to dismiss the bottom of a rusted one crashing through the floor as the hot water fills up the basement or streams through floorboards until it happens to you.
Before there were tankless water heaters, the traditional operated off of an anode rod. This aluminum or magnesium cast around a steel core wire with a hex head is usually 3/4ths inches in size in residential water heaters—the part may be small in size, but it’s contribution to the operating of heating your water is major. Whether it lives or dies largely relies on this rod. Called a sacrificial anode, it protects the tank from rusting over time.
Generally speaking, a six-year-warranty residential tank will have one anode rod, while a 12-year-warranty tank will have two. Commercial size tanks have from one to five. The anode rod works through using electrolysis, meaning when two metals are connected in water, the anode is consumed: one metal will corrode to protect the other.
A sacrificial anode’s life expectancy depends on the quality of the water, the amount of use the tank gets, the water temperature, and the quality of the tank. Water softeners add salt to the water which corrodes the anodes faster.
One of the dead giveaways that corrosion is present is rusty water underneath it.
Annual water heater inspections including draining and flushing can double its life expectancy. Hot water heaters last an average of 8 years. The attentiveness and a yearly investment of only 0 alone can lead to getting another 7-8 out of it.
Besides rusty water, the efficiency of a hot water heater can diminish over time, costing a homeowner more in energy costs than replacement. If the amount of hot water generated by a formerly well-performing hot water heater seems to be less by the day, it’s time to get a water heater check-up.
A professional plumber will examine the burner components of the water heater when performing a routine inspection. Remove the front cover of the hot water heater to get to clogged and rusty burners.
Today’s energy-smart consumers are replacing traditional water heaters with tankless water heaters that heat the water instantly upon demand vs. the traditional water heater keeps the water constantly heated and ready to be used. For a busy family or couple, that’s a lot of time spent waiting (while using costly energy).
According to Energystar, considering the energy savings (normally heating water accounts for about 15 percent of a house’s energy use) the cost of replacing your old water heater with a tankless one can be recovered in one year.gov) and the energy tax rebates now available. It’s enough of an incentive, says this master plumber, to inspire some homeowners to replace their water heater even though it’s not yet broken.
