Replacing a water heater is something all homeowners face at some point; however, if your water heater is still working but reaching its life expectancy, should you replace it before it fails?
The answer is yes, you should replace the heater before it fails. This will save you from having to make further repairs to your home. A failed leaking water heater can cause catastrophic damage to your home.
Let’s go over some other reasons why you may want to replace an old water heater before it completely fails.
Table of Contents
Reasons To Replace Water Heater Before It Fails
Avoid Emergency Service Fee
If your water heater decides to call it quits on a Friday night, you are in for a fun weekend. There will be time spent finding a plumber willing to come out on the weekend, and you will be stuck paying for an emergency water heater service, which can be pretty pricey on the weekend. If you can’t find a plumber to come out on the weekend, you and your family could be in for a couple of miserable days and possibly accrue some extra expenses on a hotel stay.
The other scenario is contacting your local plumber to go over water heater options, price, and availability. Now you know the plumber can conveniently come on Wednesday when you are home, the exact price of the water heater and labor for the replacement, and how long the job will take. This means you won’t be without hot water but for a couple of hours. Planning and scheduling a water heater replacement is quick and convenient.
Making The Right Water Heater Decision
Everyone’s water usage is different. Some households only require or want a small water heater, and other families need endless hot water, but the truth is we all need hot water! So when your water heater fails, suddenly you will be forced into making a quick decision without the proper research for what will fit your family’s needs. It’s important to give yourself some time to research tank vs. tankless or electric vs. gas and go over all your options with your family’s usage in mind. Also, not all water heaters are created equal, so doing a little recon on different brands and their warranty is something you want to do. Choosing a poor quality water heater in a pinch could leave you having to replace the heater again in the near future.
Water Heater Efficiency
Sure your 15-year-old water heater is still cranking out hot water but at what cost? Water heaters have improved quite a bit in the last 15 years, and chances are your 15-year-old water heater is not the most energy-efficient. Also, if your water heater is on its way out and not functioning properly, the water heater has to kick on more often to keep the water at a certain temperature, essentially running up your utilities. Investing in a new energy efficient water heater could lower the utility bill. The return on investment will be seen right away.
Avoid Damage Caused By Leaking Water Heater
Finally, this topic may be the most important reason to change a water heater before it fails. A water heater sometimes stops working, but more times than not, they start leaking. Most of the time, leaking occurs for some time, causing damage before the homeowners notice the leak. Resulting in further damage to the home. Usually, water damage means some demo work to remove anything that got wet. The insulation, sheetrock, or flooring will need to be removed and properly dried out. We recommend using a dehumidifier to properly dry out the area before replacing any of the flooring or sheetrock. By not replacing the aging water heater before a leak has occurred, you could end up costing yourself time and money.
We see this all the time in our field. We get a call from a customer in a panic about their water heater leaking, they have notice water in the pan, or worse, it has overflowed the pan and making its way to the ceiling. At this point, the repair is going to cost more and take more time. If you need to hire a sheetrock repair company to cut out the wet sheetrock and replace, float, and paint the patch the cost is going to go up. It’s a time consuming job and costly.
Signs Your Water Heater Needs To Be Replaced
Below we have listed a few signs to look for in older water heaters to determine if your water heater needs to be replaced.
Water Heater Life Expectancy
Each manufacturer puts a life expectancy time frame on their water heater, usually between 8 and 12 years, for a typical tank-style heater. If your heater is in the range and experiencing one or more of the signs listed below, it’s a good indicator you need to replace the water heater.
Water Heater Rusted On Botton or Top
Any visible rust on the tank is a sign your water heater is reaching the end. This rust spot can easily turn into a leak. It’s only a matter of time before the heater starts leaking.
Water Heater Making Noise
A water heater that is making popping, banging, or bubbling noise means that there is significant mineral build in the tank.
Water In Pan Under Water Heater
If you have noticed water in the pan under the water heater could be corroded and leaking. Depending on the water heater in the pan, it could overflow and cause damage to the ceiling or floor.
Red Rusty Water Coming From Hot Water Heater
The “red” water coming from your water heater is sediment build up in your tank. One way to determine if it’s your water heater is if only the hot water is rusty red in color compared to the cold water.
Take Away
If your water heater is showing signs of failure, it’s important to notice the signs and take action. I like to explain this to my customers by telling them to think of your water heater just like the tires on your car. You start to notice your tires are aging, losing tread, or going bald. Do you wait until you have a blowout to get new tires? Absolutely not. Why? Because the results could cause more damage and be catastrophic.