It’s always important to have a functioning water heater, and perhaps even more so during the coldest time of year. If yours is like most households, you rely constantly on hot water on a day-to-day basis. You use it to bathe and warm yourself up on a cold winter day, to wash your dishes, clothes and towels, and you need it for a variety of household cleaning tasks. Unfortunately, it’s not particularly uncommon for water heaters to have problems, and when they occur, they can have significant negative effects on your home comfort and convenience. When yours is malfunctioning or not performing as it should, the most important thing is to determine what’s wrong with it in a timely manner. Once the problem has been diagnosed, it will be a much simpler matter to get the appliance back up and running smoothly. The longer you wait, though, the worse the problem may get, so it’s crucial to be aware of some of the common water heater issues as well as their symptoms and causes.
Lack of Warm Water
One of the most common and frustrating water heater problems will be a lack of hot water in your home. In most cases, this is the result of a broken heating element within the appliance. If you have an electric water heater, it’s equipped with two separate heating elements, which do the job of warming up the incoming water in its tank. If even one of these two elements experiences a malfunction, it can seriously reduce the amount of hot water that you’re getting through your faucets. If both of them malfunction, you will have essentially none whatsoever. If you think your electric water heater is dealing with a broken or malfunctioning heating element, you’ll want to bring in a local water heater professional as soon as possible. In Southern California, you can rely on We Care Plumbing, Heating & Air for assistance.
Running Out of Warm Water Too Quickly
A broken heating element will result in your home’s water lacking in heat. However, if your water is still plenty hot, but it’s simply running out too quickly, that’s likely to be a completely separate issue. Often, this is the result of the water heater’s dip tube being cracked or damaged. The dip tube has the important task of pushing cold water to the bottom of the water tank so that it can be heated up. However, if it’s damaged, some of that water may start leaking into the middle or even top of the tank instead. As a result, if you’re attempting to run hot water, you may start getting to that cold water much sooner than you should be. If your water heater has this problem, it will require replacing the dip tube with a new one, which is a relatively complex job. We recommend bringing in a qualified technician to take care of it, as they will have the necessary expertise and equipment to do the job correctly and safely.
Discolored Water
If everything is working properly, the water coming out of your sink, shower and all other taps should be completely clear at all times. If you’ve noticed that any of your water is coming out with discoloration present, it likely means that there is deterioration either in the water tank or your water heater’s anode rod. As a result of the deterioration, it is most likely rust beginning to seep into your water supply. If you notice this happening, it’s crucial that you call in a professional as quickly as possible because the only way to fix this type of issue is to catch it early on. If you let this type of deterioration linger, that rust is going to spread, and cracks will begin to form within your water heater. Once this starts to happen, the tank will likely begin leaking, and you will be past the point of repairs being an option. Unfortunately, you will most likely need to replace your water heater completely.
Slow Hot Water Production
When your water heater is working correctly, even once the tank has emptied of hot water completely, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes for it to produce more. If you have a gas-powered water heater and you’re suddenly having to wait 30 minutes or an hour for the hot water to be replenished, it may be a sign that the water heater’s burner orifice is contaminated. This contamination affects the burner’s ability to efficiently heat the water, forcing you to wait much longer for the warm water that you require. You can try to troubleshoot this issue by increasing the gas pressure of the water heater, but if that doesn’t help, you will want to bring in a trained professional to help with cleaning the burner orifice.
Low Water Pressure
There’s nothing pleasant about trying to take a shower or wash dirt off your hands while having to deal with weak water pressure. If you’re experiencing this, it could be the result of several different things. One possibility is that your home’s water pipes are too small. This is a frequent occurrence in older homes, and it causes the flow of water to be restricted before it reaches your shower or sink. This can be remedied by replacing the small water lines with new, ¾-inch pipes, which will be big enough for the hot water to flow freely and not diminish your water pressure. If you know what you’re doing, you can make this switch on your own, but it’s not recommended for most homeowners. Don’t hesitate to hire a professional who will ensure that the job is done correctly and safely.
Alternatively, low water pressure can also be caused by calcium deposits in your water pipes. Over time, both calcium and magnesium can build up inside your water lines, which will gradually clog them up, further decreasing the space that the water has to flow through. Because getting to these pipes to make repairs can be challenging and require removing drywall, you will probably need to bring in a licensed plumbing professional to remedy the issue.
Dependable Professionals You Can Count On
At We Care Plumbing, Heating & Air, we have been proudly serving residents of the Southern California area for more than 20 years. We have offices in Temecula, Murrieta and Orange, and we’ve worked hard to build our reputation as the premier residential and commercial plumbing, heating and air conditioning company in the region. In all these fields, we perform expert repairs, installations and maintenance. We also provide outstanding services regarding water heaters and indoor air quality. As our name implies, we genuinely care about the comfort and safety of our customers. Our skilled team members have many years of accumulated experience to place at your disposal. We are also proud to support our community through involvement with organizations like Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club, Michelle’s Place and many others. Our company builds lasting relationships of trust with our customers and others.
You deserve to be comfortable in your home, and we want to help you do so. Give us a call at We Care Plumbing, Heating & Air today to schedule an appointment.
