Is It Time to Replace Your Water Heater?

May 4, 2021

How many years before a water heater needs to be replaced? What are the tell-tale signs? We answer these questions and more, now!

Water Heater Life Expectancy

We wish we could give an exact answer to this question, but there is a pretty wide time range! The average water heater lasts between 6 and 13 years. If your water heater is 8 to 10 years old, we typically tell people to start looking for a replacement. Because it’s easier to replace an old but working water heater, than to deal with a water heater that’s started to produce rusty water, or gurgling noises, or has started to leak!

Additional Reading: Water Heater Life Expectancy

Symptoms of Failing Water Heaters

Along those lines, we’d like to quickly run down the signs and symptoms of a failing water heater. If you notice any of these things, call Parker & Sons right away!

• Your water is colored/tinted brown. This is rust, which means that the bottom of your water heater tank is corroding and being eaten away.

• If you hear a popping or gurgling noise coming from the heater, this means solid particles are being heated up inside the water tank – almost like popping a bag of popcorn! Of course, as you know, the only thing that is supposed to be heated up in your water heater is water, not particles. Again, this is a sign that the bottom of your water heater tank is being eaten away from corrosion.

• Your water heater is leaking. How do you know if it’s leaking? Well, the most obvious sign is a pool of water under the heater. We won’t harp on this point too much because we’re sure you’ll know it when you see it!

It helps to keep your eyes and ears out for strange colors, sounds, or leaks!

Benefits of Tankless Water Heaters

Here at Parker & Sons, we also offer tankless water heaters. Up until this point in the blog, we’ve been talking about traditional tank water heaters, because that’s the type most people own, and the reason these only lasts from 6 to 13 years is because of how they operate:

At the bottom of the tank, a burner or element heats up your water, which is great … but the with having a tank of standing hot water is that the tank will eventually start to corrode. Water heater manufacturers do have something in place to prevent this, called an “anode rod,” which draws corrosive particles to it like a magnet. This prevents corrosion from eating away at the bottom of the water tank. However, eventually, this anode rod collects so many corrosive particles that it can’t collect any more, at which point the corrosive particles, like sharks, seek to eat away at the bottom of your water heater.

This doesn’t happen with a tankless water heater. This type heats up water immediately when you need it and doesn’t store the hot water. The system still eventually gets corroded, but it takes about 20 years. Another reason a lot of people like tankless water heaters is because of the on-demand hot water – bringing you hot water in about 15 seconds, as opposed to a minute or two!

Whether you’re interested in learning more about our tankless water heaters, or you have questions or concerns about your water heater, we’re here to help. Our top-notch plumbers here at Parker & Sons can fix any problem in your Phoenix or Tucson home.