Which water heater problems are worth fixing?
Anything that comes down to one replaceable part, as long as the tank is sound and isn't near the end of its life.
On an electric tank, that's usually a heating element or a thermostat. On a gas tank, it's often the part that tells the gas control there's a flame: a thermocouple, thermopile or flame sensor. Sometimes it's the igniter or the gas control valve.
A dripping relief valve, a broken dip tube or a worn-out anode rod can be replaced too. The dip tube feeds cold water to the bottom of the tank. The anode rod corrodes on purpose to protect the steel.
A new heater over one bad part is just money spent early.
Does a leak mean I need a new water heater?
Only if the water is coming from the tank itself. Most tanks are glass-lined steel, and the lining and anode rod hold off rust for years, but not forever. Eventually the water wins.
Once the steel rusts through, there's no patching it. So first, find where the water is coming from. Wipe it up and watch where it comes back.
A leak at a top fitting, the drain valve, a supply line, the relief valve or an electric tank's element gasket is a repair. Water seeping from the bottom seam or the tank body is not.
One thing that isn't a leak: a gas heater can drip condensation while it heats a tank of cold water. If it keeps dripping once the tank is hot, or you hear sizzling at the burner, have it checked.
How old is too old for a water heater?
There's no hard cutoff. Plan on about 8 to 12 years from a tank, and some, especially electric ones, go longer.
If a tank near the end of that range needs an expensive part, we'd replace it. Everything else on it is wearing out too.
A small repair on an older tank is different. It buys you time to replace it on your schedule instead of the tank's.
What signs point toward replacement?
A leak from the tank body is the only sign that settles it by itself. These point the same way:
- Rusty hot water while the cold runs clear
- Rumbling or popping that flushing no longer quiets
- Hot water running out sooner than it used to
- Rust or corrosion at the base or the top fittings
- Repairs coming more often
If a tank near the end of its run shows 2 or 3 of these, we'd start pricing a new one.
What can I check myself before I call?
The label, the color of your hot water and where any water is coming from.
- Find the manufacture date on the label. It's often coded into the serial number, which we can read for you.
- Run the hot, then the cold, at one faucet. If only the hot is rusty, the cause is on the hot side: the tank, a worn-out anode rod or old galvanized pipe. Worth a look, not proof the tank is done.
- Find where any water is coming from: the top fittings, the relief valve pipe, the drain valve or the tank itself.
Stop there. On a gas heater, leave the controls and burner alone, except to shut the gas off in a leak. On an electric one, keep the side covers on. The wiring behind them is live unless the breaker is off.
What else changes when you replace a water heater?
Often the parts around it. A new heater generally has to meet the code your city or county enforces now, not whatever applied when the old one went in.
Depending on where you live, that can mean an expansion tank, which gives heated water room to expand. It can also mean a drain pan, new venting or an updated gas connection. Gas and venting work is done under whatever license and permit your city or county requires.
A permit and inspection are often part of it. We'll tell you what yours needs along with the price.
Is replacement a good time to switch to tankless?
It can be, if you want the floor space back or your household runs out during long, back-to-back showers. It costs more to install, though, and it can only heat so many gallons a minute. It has to be sized for everything running at once, even in winter, when the water coming in is colder.
If it's on your mind, get it priced while the old tank still works. The full tradeoff is in tank or tankless: which water heater fits your home.