Your plumbing system has many different components designed to serve different purposes. The water heater is one of the most important ones. It essentially works hard behind the scenes to ensure your family has a constant supply of hot water. This is because the cold water from your utility company may be quite ineffective and uncomfortable when used for cleaning, washing, or bathing. Given the important role the water heater plays, water heater failure could lead to serious disruptions in your house in Bloomington, IL. However, you need to know that this is quite a complex and dangerous appliance for the average homeowner to handle, and therefore, no matter how urgent the water heater issue at hand might be, you should never be tempted to handle it on your own. Instead of trying DIY water heater repair, you need to have a professional plumbing service provider you can trust with all your water heater issues. More importantly, you need to understand how your water heater operates and take note of any signs of failure for you to seek timely water heater repairs. Here are the signs that should prompt you to make a call to your water heater repair service in Bloomington, IL.
Discolored Water from Your Water Heater
Of course, you expect the water coming from your water heater to be clean and colorless. Therefore, if it is discolored, then you could be staring at a serious water heater problem. Discolored water from your water heater is usually a result of corrosion. Indeed, although your water heater is made of steel, which is one of the toughest materials in the world, it can get corroded since it is always exposed to moisture and oxygen.
However, water heaters come with a component known as the anode rod, meant to protect them against corrosion. Indeed, the anode rod in your water heater essentially changes the chemical state of the water in your water heater to ensure that your water heater tank does not rust away. With time, the anode rod wears out, and it might need to be changed several times within the life of your water heater. If it is not changed on time, rust will start attacking your water heater tank, meaning that the water coming from the water heater will have a brown or reddish pigment. Therefore, if the water coming from your water heater looks discolored, you should dial a water heater repair service to assess the condition of your water heater and help you determine if the issue can be resolved by changing the anode rod or if you will need to replace the water heater entirely.
Water Heater Noise
The water heater is not designed to work completely silently. Even under normal circumstances, your water heater will produce some sound. However, the natural sound of a working water heater should not be bothersome. Therefore, if you have noticed that your water heater is so noisy that it is diverting your attention from other things or making it harder for you to sleep, you need to find a professional water heater repair expert to help you diagnose the underlying cause of the problem and get it fixed accordingly.
Several issues can make your water heater noisy. For instance, if a lot of sediments and mineral deposits have settled in your water heater tank, the water heater might produce popping and cracking sounds. While the noise in itself may be harmless, the sediments causing it might cover the heating elements and make your water heater less efficient. In such a case, you will need a water repair expert to help you drain the water heater.
Water Not Getting Hot Enough
When your water heater is working properly, water has to get hot enough. Therefore, if your water heater is supplying tepid water, there could be something serious going on. For example, if there is too much sediment deposited in your water heater tank, it might cover the heating elements and make it harder for them to heat your water as expected. Besides, your water heater might also supply tepid water if its thermostat is broken or set incorrectly. Whatever the actual source of the problem might be, you can count on an experienced water heater repair service provider to diagnose it accurately and fix it accordingly.
You Keep Running Out of Hot Water
When you are taking a shower, running out of hot water suddenly can make you quite uncomfortable and even force you out of the bathroom before you are done. If it happens once in a while, there may be nothing to worry about. However, if it keeps occurring on a more frequent basis, your water heater might need the attention of a professional water heater repair service. In some cases, you might run out of hot water frequently if there is too much sediment in your water heater tank, reducing the amount of water it can hold at any given time. Your water heater might also fail to heat water as expected if its heating elements are broken. Depending on what the underlying cause of the problem might be, your water heater repair expert will repair it or advise you to get a new replacement water heater.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, a water heater failure can cause serious inconveniences in your house. The good news is that most water heater problems can be relatively easy to fix if they are detected and addressed in their earlier stages of development. On the other hand, if you ignore the warning signs, you might soon be forced to deal with a bigger water heater repair issue. That might be more disruptive and expensive to fix. If you are looking for a dependable plumbing contractor in Bloomington, IL to help you deal with any water heater problem, Covenant Plumbing is the answer. Feel free to get in touch with us to learn more about our company.
