No one replaces their water heater just because they want to impress their friends. People usually replace an appliance because the water heater is leaking or failing to make hot water. Or sometimes it’s making hot water, but halfway through a shower you run out. As a general rule of thumb, if there is no leak, your water heater does not need replacement. The exceptions to this rule are 1) if the heater is so old the warranty expired, or 2) the cost of the repairs approach or exceed the cost of a new water heater.
When you have a water heater that has performed well in the past and is not currently leaking, investigate the problem. If you have an electric water heater, the chances are good that you have either a burned out thermostat or an element, giving you some, but not enough, hot water. If you have a gas hot water heater that fails to provide enough hot water, you may have sediment build up in the bottom of the tank, or a broken dip tube that causes you to run out of hot water after a short period of time. A skilled plumber should diagnose and repair these problems for a reasonable fee. At Sav-On Plumbing, we are highly skilled in the diagnosis and repair of these problems.
There is one more scenario that causes people to run out of hot water, and it’s not a problem with the water heater. This is an underground hot water leak. Just because you have an underground hot water leak doesn’t mean you are going to see any visible water. The signs of this problem are “hot spots” on the floor, the sound of water running in the walls when you’re not using any water, and or high electric or gas bills.
Last week a Phoenix customer referred to us had just had his water heater replaced, paying about $1,000 dollars. After the replacement, he still had inadequate hot water. We found the problem — an underground leak. While he may have needed to replace his old water heater, replacing the water heater didn’t solve his problem, and never would until he repaired the underlying issue, the underground leak.
If you are running out of hot water and your water heater isn’t leaking, look at other possibilities before you invest a lot of money in a new water heater. Call us for a no-obligation estimate in Phoenix, Glendale, Avondale or surrounding areas.