Photo By eyecrave at istock

One of the best things you can do to make sure your Chattanooga, TN, home is prepared for winter is have somebody check on your water heater. If you’re like most homeowners, you haven’t invested a whole lot of time or money into water heater repair and maintenance. The truth is, it’s important to keep a close eye on your water heater because they’re not designed to last all that long even with good care. If you haven’t replaced your water heater in a while, here’s how you can tell when it’s time for a new one.

Water Heater Maintenance

As far as the appliances in your home goes, water heaters don’t last nearly as long as a lot of other things will. The thing is, how long your water heater lasts has a lot to do with how well you take care of it. When it comes to preventing expensive repairs, the biggest thing you can do is keep your water heater from corroding.

Every once in a while, you should have somebody flush the water out of your water heater and refill it. Flushing the water out of a water heater also removes the sediment from the bottom of the tank, the buildup of which can lead to severe corrosion in your water heater. You should have this done every six months if you want to avoid problems.

It’s also a good idea to have somebody take a look at your thermostats, heating elements and more on a regular basis. Every time you have a water heater repair expert flush your water heater, you should also have it inspected. The better you maintain your water heater, the less often you’ll have to replace it.

Water Heater Repair

When you have a problem with your water heater, there are a few things you can do to get them fixed. The tricky part about water heater repair is that there are some things that simply can’t be fixed. As soon as you aren’t getting hot water or you have some other problem with your water heater, you should call an expert to have them look at it.

If you’re not getting any hot water from your water heater, it could be that you’ve got a problem with one of the heating elements. The lower heating element is the one that usually goes out first because it has a bigger job to do. However, there could also be a problem with the upper heating element or a thermostat.

Sometimes, a water heater problem is as simple as fixing the thermostat settings. If your thermostat is set too high or too low, it can cause problems with your water heater. If you’re not sure how to look at your thermostat and figure out what you need to change, you can always have a water heater repair expert do it during maintenance.

How Long Do Water Heaters Last?

The last thing you want is to let your water heater go bad and be left without hot water during the winter. Unfortunately, water heaters aren’t designed to last a long time even if you take good care of them. In general, you can expect a water heater to last somewhere between 10 and 15 years depending on how well you keep up with water heater repair and maintenance.

A water heater that you don’t take good care of may not even last 10 years, which is why having your water heater flushed regularly is so important. Corrosion is usually the first thing that leads to the end of a water heater, so that should be your focus.

Since water heaters only last about 10 to 15 years, you need to consider the age of your water heater when it comes time for replacement. If your water heater is already 10 or 15 years old, now might be a good time to invest in a new water heater before you end up with problems.

Finding a New Water Heater

If your water heater is nearing the end of its life, it’s important to look at some of the options you have available to you. Since you’re already investing in a new water heater, this is a good opportunity to upgrade to something more efficient or convenient.

Tank-type water heaters are the simplest when it comes to water heater repairs, maintenance and installation. These units work by heating up a tank full of water, which can then be sent to the different fixtures in your home. While tank-type water heaters are simple, they’re not the most efficient due to how they work.

Tankless water heaters are a popular option if you’re looking for more convenience and efficiency. A tankless water heater heats water as you need it, which means you save money that would otherwise be spent heating a large tank of water. Plus, you don’t have to worry about running out of hot water unless your water heater doesn’t provide enough gallons of hot water per minute.

There are also point-of-use water heaters that you can install in your bathroom or kitchen to provide hot water for one room. While tankless water heaters and point-of-use units are great when it comes to efficiency and convenience, they may be a bit more difficult as far as water heater repair goes.

The Easy Way

You need to make sure you’re keeping an eye on your water heater if you don’t want to end up with cold water on a cold winter day. This is why you need to have a good plumber on your side.

If you’re in need of water heater repair, replacement or maintenance, you can count on Metro Plumbing, Heating and Air to take care of it. Whatever kind of plumbing services you need in Chattanooga, TN, all you have to do is call Metro Plumbing, Heating and Air.