Water heating consumes 18% of total home energy consumption, making it the second-biggest home expense.
If your water heater malfunctions, it won’t just disrupt your daily life but also massively increase your energy consumption and bills.
To prevent such occurrences, you must be cautious about the most common problems of water heaters and the right way to solve them. So, let’s get started!
Inadequate hot water
A standard water heater can produce hot water of 75% of the overall capacity. For instance, an 80-gallon heater must produce 60-gallon hot water.
If the water heater doesn’t produce enough hot water, there can be two cases:
Case A: It is too small for the entire household’s needs.
Solution
- Have shorter hot showers.
- Get low-flow shower heads.
- Allow time for the heater to heat the remaining water by doing heavy-duty chores like laundry and dishwashing at different times.
Case B: It’s not small and has suddenly started producing less hot water. This indicates there’s a fault in the heating components of the water heater.
Solution
Seek services for water heater repair Seattle immediately. You might need to replace the heating components or the entire appliance.
No hot water
If your water heater doesn’t produce hot water at all, there might be a power issue. Or, it’s a result of failed heating components or a tripped limit switch.
Solution
- Check whether the appliance circuit breaker in the service panel has tripped.
- If it has tripped, switch it OFF and back to ON.
- If it didn’t trip, reset the heater’s high-temperature limit. For this, turn off the power supply to the appliance and remove its access panel. Press the high-temperature reset button. It’s usually a red button.
Too hot water
This issue indicates that either or both of the appliance’s thermostats are set extremely high.
Solution
- Cut the appliance’s power supply in the service panel.
- Disconnect the access panel to check the heat settings.
- Turn the screw using a screwdriver and change the settings as desired. Both thermostats must have a maximum 120 °F temperature.
Dirty Water
If the water outlets produce yellowish, reddish, or brownish water, there might be internal corrosion in your water heater. The anode rod (a metal rod in the water heater’s center) has probably corroded.
Solution
Seek water heater servicing professionals immediately to replace the anode rod.
Bad Odor Water
A foul smell from water might come if the water in the heater has not been used/changed for a long time. However, if the water particularly smells like rotten eggs, there’s bacterial growth in your water heater tank. If this water is ingested, it can be fatal.
Solution
Flush the heater completely following these precautionary steps:
- Switch on the Pilot setting if you have a gas water heater. If it’s electric, turn the power off.
- Locate the cold water valve on the tank’s top and close it.
- Let the heater sit for 2 hours at least to prevent any burns while flushing.
- Set a hose with the drain valve and let the water out into your drain. The water might be hot, so be careful.
- Turn on a hot water faucet to prevent pressure buildup in the lines. Open the tank’s drain valve.
- Open the drain valve and empty it completely.
- Turn on the cold water until the water has no smell, and close the drain valve.
Remove the hose, fill the tank, and turn on the water heater.
Note: If the foul smell doesn’t go away completely or it smells like rotten eggs, seek professional help.
Water Heater Leaking
If the water heater is leaking from the sides, it’s a sign of cracks due to corrosion or other damage. This usually happens around holes and joints.
Solution
You can’t safely repair water heaters, so replace them. Until then, prevent damage to your home by turning off the power and water supply to the heater and drain the tank completely.
Noisy Appliance
If the appliance is making low-rumbling, high-pitched, or popping noises, the water is boiling in it. The sediment buildup on the tank bottom led to overheating and boiling water.
Solution
- Cut off power and water supply to the appliance.
- Flush the water following the steps in #5.
- Open the temperature pressure relief valve (top) and drain valve (bottom)
- Remove sediments and close both valves.
- Remove the hose and switch on the power and water supply.
Conclusion
With this knowledge, you can deal with most water heater concerns and ensure the availability of hot water at home. However, if you can’t resolve the matter, seek experts immediately!