Do I Need a New Water Heater?

You depend on your water heater every day—whether it’s to provide warm water to bathe in, suitable water to wash your clothes, or even water at an ideal temperature to speed along the cooking process. So when your water heater breaks down or just doesn’t seem to be able to keep up with your demands any more, you may be wondering whether you should repair it make the extra investment to replace it outright. If you replace it too early, you could save the cost of replacing it for a later time, but if you try to repair a heater that’s in too poor a condition, you’ll probably only be frustrated when it breaks down again not long after. Here are a few tips to help you know whether you should choose to repair or replace your water heater.

Unit Age

The first and arguably most important you should ask about your unit is how old it is. Generally, a water heater will usually last you about 10 years, and anything after that is pretty much considered bonus time. If you know your unit is older than 10 years, you’re better off just replacing the unit outright. If your unit is less than 10 years old, then you may be able to get away with a simple repair to get more useful life out of it before making a replacement.

Don’t know how old your heater is? There’s an easy way to tell: find the serial number on your unit and look at the first two numbers. Usually these first two numbers represent the manufacture year, though some manufacturers use a four-digit combo to represent month and year of manufacture.

Water Condition

If your hot water is coming out with a brownish tint to it, this is usually a sign that it’s coming into contact with rust somewhere. If it’s only happening when you turn the hot water tap, that’s usually a dead giveaway that it’s coming from your water heater. The internal tank has probably rusted, and that means you’re on the verge of experiencing a leak. Turn off your heater, drain the tank, and have it replaced immediately.

Leaks

Is your tank leaking? While you may be able to repair it temporarily, this is usually a sign that your tank is starting to give out or rust out (as mentioned previously). Fixing a leaky tank isn’t usually advisable: they only hold for so long, and it’s only a matter of time before it starts leaking again, and possibly worse. Have your heater replaced as soon as possible.