Should You Replace Your Water Heater Before It Fails?

Your water heater is an integral part of your home’s plumbing system. It heats your water to make sure you have plenty of warm water for washing your hands, cooking your food, showering, cleaning, and other activities around your home.

However, if your water heater is over 10 years old, it’s likely reaching the end of its life cycle. Even if your water heater isn’t showing any signs of damage or deterioration from the outside, many problems could be starting inside the water heater.

Water heaters can be expensive to replace. You may wonder, should you replace your water heater before it fails? How do you know if your water heater is starting to fail? Keep reading below for the answers to all your questions.

Yes – Replace Your Water Heater Before Failure

We’ll explain why below, but once your water heater starts to reach 10-15 years old, you should look into replacing it. Even if it’s not failing yet and only has a small problem once in a while, it can save you time, money, and a lot of headaches to replace it soon. Waiting for your water heater to fail can make replacing it even more difficult.

Plan Ahead For Water Heater Replacement

Just because your water heater has reached the 10-year mark doesn’t mean you have to run out and replace it immediately. Instead, once your water heater reaches 10 years old or starts having issues, you should look into your replacement options.

This will give you time to research what kind of water heater you want, especially if there are innovations or updates available. You’ll have the chance to shop around for the best brand at the right price for your budget. You can also keep an eye out for any sales or promotions and buy your new water heater at a great discount before your current one fails.

If you wait until your water heater completely fails and shuts down, you’ll likely be forced to make a decision quickly. You won’t have time to research makes and models, pricing, or plumbing companies that can install it. This can result in spending more money than necessary or even purchasing the wrong water heater.

Water Heater Failure Can Cause Major Damage

Your water heater may fail and the only problem that arises is the water is cold straight from the tap. This is not the case for everyone whose water heater fails. It’s not even the majority of cases. In fact, waiting for your water heater to fail may often lead to a variety of other problems that can impact your health and damage your home.

For example, your hot tap water may be cloudy. It may even have an odd metallic taste or smell. This can be a sign of rust and mineral deposits accumulating in the water heater. While your water heater hasn’t failed yet, it can be delivering rust and mineral deposits into the pipes and faucets in your home. This can damage those pipes and faucets and clog them. What’s worse, if you drink straight from the tap, you may end up drinking these rust and mineral deposits.

These mineral deposits don’t happen overnight. They accumulate over several years and corrode your water tank from the inside out. Even if your water heater has no visible signs of damage, it could be corroding on the inside and lead to problems from leaks to floods. If there is a visible sign, it will often start with an occasional puddle of water around the base of your water heater. In the case of a leak or small puddle near your water heater, don’t attempt to patch the plumbing leak yourself. Often if there’s one leak in a water heater, it’s corroding on the inside and bigger problems are coming your way. Replacing your water heater as soon as possible can stop your current water heater from flooding your home and causing catastrophic water damage.

Convenience

If you’ve ever been stuck without hot water, you know that it’s no walk in the park. As we mentioned before, your water heater supports a wide variety of activities in your home. Many of these activities, such as brushing your teeth, showering, or cooking your food, are essential to your everyday way of life. Not having access to hot water for days or even a couple of weeks while your water heater is being replaced can be a major inconvenience.

535 Plumbing

Are you looking for a friendly, honest plumbing company in Oahu? Look no further than 535 Plumbing. Founded in 2015, our team is known for reliability, meticulous handiwork, and friendly customer service. We are not a giant chain looking to make money off of you. We are your neighbors, ready to help you any way we can. We’re plumbers that truly care! Contact us today at (808) 300-0535.