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You depend a lot more on your hot water than you probably realize. Nearly every daily task in your home is dependent on hot water working which is why proper water heater repair in Mansfield, TX is so important. From washing dishes to running a load of laundry to taking a shower you need hot water in your home to keep things clean and functional. With the current pandemic, most people are consuming even more hot water, taking extra showers, and practicing regular hand washing which may mean your water heater is getting more use than ever.
That means that your water heater may need water heater repair a bit sooner than usual. Even if you regularly have someone come out to your home to inspect your water heater once every few years, it may be time to call someone out to your home sooner than later. After all, the more hot water you consume the more your water heater is working and with many people working from home and children learning remotely, hot water is probably in high demand.
Even the best water heater can only go so long before it starts to show strain from normal wear and tear. Most water heaters last about ten years with some models making it closer to 15 years. The latter will only happen if you practice proactive maintenance and water heater repair. Extending the life of your water heater can help you save you a great deal of money in Mansfield, TX so now is the time to start thinking about whether or not your water heater needs some attention. Not sure whether it is time to call for maintenance or not? Here are some of the most popular signs that you need to consider water heater repair or replacement. Your water heater may be sending out help signals, make sure you know what they are so you can take action.
Age of Your Water Heater
The age of your water heater is often the first thing used to determine if it is time for water heater repair or replacement. At some point, you will be making more water heater repairs than you should be, and it becomes more economical to just replace your water heater and start new. However, a great deal of Mansfield, TX have no idea how old their water heater is. This is even more true as people move more than they used to be. People used to purchase a home and move a maximum of once if at all, but these days people move frequently.
This means there is a good chance that you did not purchase the water heater that is presently in your home, which also may mean that you have no idea how old it is. In fact, this may be the first time that you have even given your water heater more than a passing thought. The good news is you don’t have to be a professional to determine the age of your water heater, although a water heater repair technician can take a look and tell you if you can’t figure it out.
To find the age of your water heater, look for the serial number, and then follow a simple formula to read it. The first three numbers refer to the month and year. The letter is the number of the month, so if it is “A” it is the first month of the year, “B” is the second month of the year etcetera. The next two numbers are the year that the water heater was made in. Knowing this number can give you a better idea as problems arise with your Mansfield, TX water heater whether or not water heater repair or replacement is the best call.
Rust On the Outside
Steel is considered to be the strongest material an appliance can be made out of, but like Superman, it has its own weakness. In this case, the weakness is rust. Rust spreads once it starts to corrode in any corner of a water tank and will slowly keep spreading until it eats through the steel. This means any sign of rust is not great on a water heater. While you hope for water heater repair if you notice signs of rust on the outside of your tank this may indicate it is time to think about water heater replacement in Mansfield, TX. Where there is rust eventually there will also be a leak.
Rust in Your Water
Rust should never be in your water, so if you notice it you have a big enough problem that you need to call a plumber right away. It may be your water heater or it may be something else but you won’t know until a professional plumber investigates it further. The first thing you can do is check to see if the rust is only coming out of your hot water tap. If it is coming out of both your hot water and cold water tap you have larger issues. Either you have a huge problem with your main water line, or something is wrong with the city of municipal water. Talk to your neighbors to see if they are having the same water heater repair issue and then proceed from there.
However, if you notice that the rusty water is only coming out of your hot water then you either have an issue with rusty pipes or a rusting hot water tank. As mentioned, at this point you probably can’t settle for water heater repair, but you can fix rusting pipes so you need to call a plumber to explore.
Even if your water heater appears to be clean on the outside, it could be slowly corroding away on the inside. This happens more than you think because people cannot see inside their water heaters so they have no idea that the rust has taken hold until it starts to come out of their water. If you have a water heater that is pushing eight to ten years this is a very possible occurrence.
Sometimes you can see outward signs of rusting near the pressure relief valve to the water inlet near the water heater tank. If you see rust starting to form here then it is a safe bet there is