Sooner or later, everything will either need repair or replacement, including the hot water heater in your home. If you notice that your hot water heater is leaking or not heating the water as it once did it may be possible to repair it. Regular maintenance will extend the life but eventually it will have to be replaced.
Repair or replace?
Every water heater manufacturer provides a suggestion as the service life of their equipment; usually this is between 8 and 12 years of service. Of course the life depends a great deal on the amount of use it gets, the quality of the water and the quality of the initial installation.
Once a tank type reaches the age of 10 years you should be considering new water heater installation in Salinas CA. If you notice leaks and the water temperature varies every time you draw upon it, then it is time to replace it.
If you believe it is a problem that can be rectified your plumber can flush the tank, insulate the hot water pipes, replace the heating element or the thermostat, if these minor repairs don’t work then replacing it is the only thing to do.
When replacement is absolutely necessary:
You can simply replace the unit with one which is of the same type but this is the ideal time to consider alternatives. This is a great time to increase or decrease the tank capacity, perhaps there have been changes in the size of your family; you might also consider tankless water heater installation in Salinas CA.
There are a few things to consider when replacing your water heater:
- 40 or 50 gallon tanks are the most common and popular
- Check the number of gallons of water the unit can heat in an hour (recovery rate)
- If you are changing the unit size, make sure there is ample room for it
- Check and make sure you purchase an energy efficient unit
Regardless of whether you can repair your existing water heater or you need to replace it, never try to do the work yourself, this is a task that is best done by a licensed plumber.
