It’s easy to take for granted the immediate availability of hot running water in our homes…after all, who wants to take a cold shower!  But it’s not just hot showers (or baths). Hot water on demand is also a necessity for everyday activities involving the use of a washing machine or a dishwasher.  A good “hot” water heater can provide your home with a reliable source of hot (and warm) water that is easily accessible.

Inevitably, your water heater will need to be replaced. How soon that occurs depends upon a number of factors, not the least of which is water hardness, frequency of maintenance and usage over time. Hard water, in particular, can reduce the lifespan of your water heater by up to a few years. This is especially true here in Phoenix, AZ metro area, where our water is considered “hard” due to its high concentration of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron. And although you can help to extend the useful lifespan of your hot water heater through annual maintenance, in the Phoenix area, the average lifespan of a well-maintained, water heater may still be roughly 6 to 8 years.

So, as a homeowner, here are the 5 ways to determine when it’s time to replace your hot water heater.

Your Water Heater is Very Old

Of course, nothing in life lasts forever, especially a water heater in Phoenix, AZ. As mentioned earlier, on average, you may expect a hot water heater to last roughly 6 to 8 years. If your water heater is in that age range, you may want to consider replacing it before it fails. Remember, it’s not a question of “if” it will fail, but “when”. Therefore, to avoid the inconvenience and discomfort resulting from a hot water heater failure, you should be prepared to replace your water heater when it is between 6-8 years old.

Your Hot Water is Rusty Water

When you begin to see rust in the hot water from your faucets, it’s likely that the culprit is your water heater. When it comes to really old and well-used water heaters, rusting is a likely occurrence. A possible indicator of the culprit may be the appearance of rust around the water inlet or pressure relief valve on your hot water heater. If this is the case, it usually means that the inside of your hot water tank is also rusted. Under such conditions, you will want to replace the entire hot water tank sooner than later.

Your Water Heater is Noisy

If you begin to notice that your hot water heater is making noise, this is usually a reliable indicator that you may have a serious problem due to sediment buildup inside your hot water tank. The problem is that as time goes on, that sediment hardens and becomes thicker along the inside of the hot water heater tank floor, preventing the heating element from reaching and heating your water. The more sediment that builds up in your water heater, the less your water is heated until your hot water heater simply stops working.

Your Water Heater Leaking

When you hot water heater approaches the end of its useful life, it becomes more likely that you’ll begin to see water leaking from it…typically that means water will be flowing onto the floor around the tank.  Hot water tank leakage  usually results from the expansion of metal within the tank. Expansion of the metal of the inner body of the water heater tank over time will result in a very small “fracture” or “gap”.  When the hot water heater, heats up, water will begin to leak out of the water heater tank.

If you’d like to learn more about how to determine if your hot water heater needs to be replaced or if you are interested in replacing your hot water heater today, contact the host water heater experts at Eagle Air Cooling & Heating by calling 480-748-1781.