Your water heater is an essential appliance in your home. In addition to giving you hot water for showering and doing the dishes, it also provides hot water for washing clothes and even heating up your kitchen sink or bathtub when necessary. But problems with your water heater can make these things difficult, if not impossible. Here are signs that your water heater might be in serious trouble and needs to be replaced:

1. The pilot light is out.

If your water heater has a pilot light, it should burn for at least 10 minutes every time you turn on the hot water. On older models, this usually means simply turning on each faucet in your house for about 30 seconds. If the pilot light goes out every time you turn it on, and you have to keep relighting it, then you need to consider replacing your water heater.

2. You get scalding hot water when turning on the cold faucet.

When you turn on a cold faucet in your home, the water that flows out should not be scalding hot. If it is, then either you have a faulty valve, or your water heater needs to be replaced.

3. Your water heater makes lots of sounds.

When your water heater works right, you can expect to hear the sound of running or tumbling water every time you turn on a faucet in your home. But if the sound of water is intermittent or loud, you might have a problem with your water heater that needs to be fixed.

4. Water leaks from the bottom.

When you think about it, a water heater is really nothing more than an insulated tank full of hot water. So if it starts leaking, it should come as no surprise. If your water heater is leaking, you should hire a professional to come to replace it for you.

5. Water doesn’t get hot enough.

When you turn on the hot water in your home and nothing comes out, then there might not be a problem with the temperature of the water–unless something else happens. If hot water starts flowing when you turn on the cold water, then that is a clear indication that your water heater needs to be replaced.

6. The pilot light won’t stay lit.

If your water heater has a pilot light, it should burn for at least 10 minutes every time you turn on the hot water. On older models, this usually means simply turning on each faucet in your house for about 30 seconds. If the pilot light goes out every time you turn it on, and you have to keep relighting it, then you need to consider replacing your water heater.

 

For more information about water heaters or if you think you need a repair or a replacement, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New Jersey.  We also service other towns in New Jersey, such as Teaneck, Hackensack and Franklin Lakes.