Is it time for your water heater to get serviced?

There are a few easy signs that will let you know if you need to service your water heater. The easiest one is age. The years may have crept by and you were not paying close attention. As simple as this may sound, this is one of the main reasons that homeowners have to replace their water heater. Look for your paperwork, or try to remember when you purchased your water heater. The general consensus is that water heaters usually last anywhere from seven to fifteen years. Therefore, if your water heater is on its sixth birthday, then it would be advisable to have it serviced.

Most of us fall victim to the saying of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. No homeowner wants to spend unnecessary money. So if we don’t get an obvious sign that something is not working in our home, it is out of sight and out of mind. However, given the dangers that can occur from an improperly working water heater, it will be to your advantage to know the most frequent signs of wear and tear.

Another sign that is easy to recognize is not getting enough hot water. If your hot water is lasting an unusually short amount of time, then there may be a problem. The pilot light may have gone out. Sometimes this occurs. There may be no specific reason for this occurring. However, if it does occur, this could definitely indicate that something may be wrong. As a rule, the pilot light on the water heater does not go out unless it is turned off.

The real red flag that your water heater may need servicing is rusty water. If you are seeing rusty water from your faucets, your water heater could need servicing. This is questionable because, first, you will need to check with your local utility company to see if they are doing any type of work in your neighborhood that may cause your waterline to pick up rust. If the utility company tells you that they are not doing any work in your neighborhood, then you should to call for service.

When dealing with something as serious as your hot water heater, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is always best to be safe first and not sorry later.

If you need to service your water heater or are looking to upgrade your current water heater in the Lemont area, call the professionals at Jim Wagner Plumbing, Inc. at (630) 577-9241 or (815) 609-1859 and set up an appointment today!