Do You Need a New Hot Water Heater?

As we’ve all been stuck (trapped?) at home more over the last year, I think everyone has come to some realizations about their home.  Maybe you don’t have enough space for everyone to live all parts of their life in your house, maybe you realize you used to avoid cooking at home because you just hate cooking in your dated kitchen, or, as in today’s article, there just doesn’t seem to be enough hot water to go around.  Do you need a new hot water heater? Let’s discuss.

Being home 24-7 shines a light on how much hot water you use in your daily life – showers, bath time, laundry, cooking, washing dishes and the all-important frequent hand washing.

Whether you are a new homeowner or have been in your home for a while, be aware of potential issues you could face with your water heater. Some issues could be fixed, but other concerns could mean it is time for a replacement.

Come Sit on the Story Time Rug

Once upon a time, my husband and I woke up one month into our homeownership journey to discover we had no hot water.  We tried to relight it (which you really aren’t supposed to do unless you are a professional) and we frantically googled “how to fix water heater” to no avail. Fun fact: a thermocouple is not the same as a flux capacitor.

We finally gave up, called my dad, who had us call my grandpa. My grandpa was a master plumber and city plumbing inspector.  After doing some fiddling and lots of gratuitous banging on the unit with a wrench, Grandpa took to me to see his friends at the plumbing store. I became the proud parent of a 50-gallon state of the art gas hot water tank.

Once installed, Grandpa fired that bad boy up.  Only to have the pilot promptly go out.  My Grandpa was mystified.  Off he went to investigate following the gas line outside and the cause was….embarrassing. 

Apparently, the company who handled our electric and gas at our last apartment only handled our electric and NOT the natural gas at this house.  The natural gas company, seeing they had no one on the account had physically locked out the gas on my property – without notice or a sign on my door, I might add — and the fact that there was no gas made the water heater pilot go out.  

Moral of the story:  When you move in, make sure you get ALL the utilities set up in your name….or ten years later you will relive your embarrassment and share it on your blog.  

Signs of Trouble

If you talk to a landlord/investor, they will often mention that they replace the hot water heater preemptively when they buy a unit.  This is because the couple hundred dollars up front is WAY WAY less painful than dealing with a water tank that has rusted out, flooded the unit and ruined a tenant’s treasured possessions, usually in the middle of the night.  You have treasured possessions as well, so keep that in mind as you evaluate if it is time to replace your water heater.

Age. Most electric water heaters last on average ten years. Gas heaters usually have a shorter lifespan of up to eight years.  If you’ve been in your home for a while, then keep tabs on your heater. You can determine its age by the serial number on the manufacturer’s sticker. The first two numbers after the letter indicate the year it was manufactured. You might want to proactively consider replacing it before it causes any other issues.

Rust. Whether you have rusty water from your faucets or rust on the outside of your water heater near the valve, it’s not a good sign. That means the steel is rusting, on the inside or outside, and that means the potential for a damaging water leak. Time for replacement!

Odd noises. If you hear rumbling or loud noises coming from your tank every time you need it to heat up water, then it is no longer efficient. Your heater is telling you that it is experiencing sediment buildup (which should be flushed out each year). If it still makes noise after flushing, then it’s getting old and the potential for leaks from cracks increases.

Leaking water.  When you see a pool of water around your water heater, take action immediately. It could signify a crack or a fracture so you are right to be concerned.  However, before you go for replacement, verify whether it is a problem with the fittings, which can be fixed. Have that checked out first. A crack or fracture of the tank itself, though, means you need a new heater.

Not enough heat.  If your water heater isn’t heating the water sufficiently or working too hard, then it’s time for some detective work. First, a plumber should check it out to see if something is wrong with the thermostat or the heating element. If it can’t be fixed, it might be worth replacing it sooner than later.

Replacing Your Water Heater

If you decide it’s time for a new water heater, do your homework first. You want to make sure you purchase a tank that fits your family needs and your home’s configuration. Plus, consider whether you want a traditional water heater or a tankless one.

Know your water needs.  Evaluate your current tank size against your usage.  Do you need to have a larger tank with a higher gallon capacity? If your household is large or growing, usually a 40-50 gallon tank size makes sense.

Determine if you need to have a better recovery rate, which is the number of gallons it will heat up in an hour.  After dispensing hot water, how quickly do you need that tank to be back in action?

Know your home. Determine the width and height of the space for your new water heater. If you are working with limited space, you may have fewer choices. 

Try and save energy with your new heater, so look for energy efficiency ratings. The Energy Star rating will also indicate the cost of operating for the year under typical circumstances. Remember, that water heaters use lots of energy. They hold hot water at the ready 24/7 by firing up as often as necessary to hold the temperature.

Tankless vs. Traditional. A traditional water heater stores and preheats 30-50 gallons of water in an actual tank. Models are available in gas or electric.

• The initial cost of a traditional water heater is lower, but over the long run you will have a higher utility bill since it is continuously refilling and reheating water whether you demand it or not.
• The tank needs to fit your home’s dimensions for the allotted space.
• The tank can run out of hot water. You will need to wait for the tank to refill and reheat, which takes precious time when you were the last in line for a shower.
• These models require replacement more often since it has a shorter lifespan (around 8-10 years) than a tankless version.

A tankless water heater does not store water in a tank (obviously!). It uses a heat source to warm up cool water on demand. It provides 2 to 3 gallons of hot water per minute. these models can also can be electric or gas.

Tankless water heaters got a really bad rap when they hit the market years ago because…well…they pretty much sucked.  The water was not actually hot when you needed it.  Current models have come a long way, and I once had a coworker absolutely rave about her tankless heater after she put her plumber through the ringer on whether or not she should purchase one for her oddly shaped utility closet that couldn’t support a larger tank water heater.

• The tankless models have a higher initial cost to install. The tankless versions are more complicated and could involve retrofitting if you are replacing a traditional heater.
• You do save energy over the long run and will see lower utility bills over time.
• The smaller tankless heaters allow installation in many places, like under sinks or even outside.
• It has a longer lifespan of 20+ years, almost double that of the tank version.

Water Heater Maintenance

Whether you decide to install a new water heater or just want to give your current model appropriate TLC, you should be doing a regular maintenance schedule on it.  Like every other aspect of your home, your water heater requires TLC to function a peak performance. 

I’ll have a more in-detail article at a later date, but if just can’t wait, you can visit this article to read up on maintenance, but the most important step you can take is to flush out your heater once per year.  Draining the unit and flushing out the sediment that collects in the bottom is a thankless and somewhat harrowing adventure but it will increase your unit’s efficiency and show it that you care.  Until this article I had no idea this annual flushing was a thing, so guess what my husband will be doing this weekend!!!

If you don’t want anything to do with hot water heater maintenance, you can always hire a licensed plumber to complete it for you! Anything you are able to farm out to a professional is great in my book!

Vacation Cost Savings

Just one last tip:  When you go on vacation, turn your hot water tank temperature way down!  Some heaters even have a “vacation” or “away” setting on their temperature control.  There is no need to constantly heat water when no one is there to use it.  Your budget will thank you.  

As you can see, replacing your water heater will happen at some point if you live in your home for a while. Regular maintenance can prolong your hot water heater’s proficiency, but be aware hot water heaters do not last forever.

Reach out if you have any questions about home maintenance or if I can help connect you with service providers!

Photo credit: Photo by Monstera from Pexels