Troubleshooting a Water Heater Failure: What to Do If It Stops Working

Troubleshooting a Water Heater Failure: What to Do If It Stops Working

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We have unearthed this great article pertaining to Hot Water Heater Repair listed below on the net and concluded it made perfect sense to discuss it with you on this site.

Many modern-day homes make use of an electrical hot water heater for their heater, due to its ease and also simplicity of use. Nonetheless, just like any other electrical appliances, troubles may occur with its usage, suddenly. It can be really irritating to wake up to a cool shower rather than a warm one or having your bathroom with water that isn't warm adequate or perhaps as well hot. Whatever the case may be, water heater problems can be fairly stressful. Thankfully, we have actually made a checklist of possible remedies to your water heater issues. There are a variety of variables that can trigger a lot of these problems, maybe an issue with the power supply, the electric burner, or the thermostat. Prior to doing anything, guarantee you switch off the primary power supply for safety and security. Whatever the problem is, getting it taken care of ought to not position too much of an issue if you follow these steps:

Examine Your Power Supply:

As basic as this may appear, it is very necessary. Without adequate power, your water heater will certainly not function. So the first thing to do when your water all of a sudden retires is to validate that it isn't a power issue. Examine if the fuse is burnt out or the circuit breaker stumbled. If the circuit breaker is the issue, merely transform it off and on once again. Change any kind of broken or damaged fuse. Examine the appliance with power after these modifications to see if it's now functioning.

Inspect the Heating Element in the Hot Water Heater:

If it's not a power trouble, after that attempt taking a look at your heating element if it is still functioning. Examine each of your heating elements to be sure the trouble isn't with any one of them. If any one of them is damaged, replace that component and afterwards check whether the warm water is back on.

Check Your Thermostat:

If your hot water heater still isn't working or the water appearing isn't warm enough, you might need to inspect the temperature level setups on your upper thermostat. Guarantee the breaker is switched off before doing anything. Open the accessibility panel and also press the red switch for temperature reset above the thermostat. This need to aid warm the water. Turn the breaker back on as well as check if the trouble has been fixed.

Call An Expert:

If after replacing all faulty parts as well as resetting your temperature, the hot water heater still isn't functioning, you may need to speak to a professional plumber for a professional viewpoint. The trouble with your heating system could be that the hot and cold faucets have been switched or it may be undersized for the amount of warm water needed in your home. Whatever the instance may be, an expert plumber would aid resolve the issue.

Verdict

Hot water heater troubles are not always major. Most of them result from minor issues like a blown fuse or worn-out heating element. Replacing the malfunctioning components must suffice. Nevertheless, if you are still not able to resolve the problem, give a call to your nearest plumber ahead to get it dealt with.

Common Reasons Why Your Hot Water Heater Isn’t Working

Water Gets Too Hot

Ouch! You wanted a hot shower, not boiling! If you have a newer model electric water heater, your water heater works with a thermostat (actually, two thermostats). If this thermostat has been jostled — or purposely reset — by someone in your home, the water flow will be much hotter than you expected.

FIX: Adjust the thermostat to a more moderate setting for producing hot water. Forty-nine degrees Celsius is recommended to prevent scalding.

Water Doesn’t Get Hot

This is the opposite of the previous problem, but it’s almost as bad. Your flow of hot water is merely lukewarm or even incoming cold water. Once again, an incorrect thermostat setting, or a faulty thermocouple in a gas water heater, could be to blame. Another explanation might be that there’s no power to the water heater (in the case of an electric heater) or the pilot light has gone out (if you have a gas unit).

FIX: Adjust your thermostat as necessary. If that doesn’t do the trick, check the power supply. Another possibility is the replacement of a damaged thermocouple in gas water heaters.

Leaking Water Heater

A leaking water heater (a sign may be low hot water pressure, or not enough hot water to shower) might be a reason to push the panic button… but first, take a few minutes to check where the leakage is coming from. Leaks near the top of the heater tend to indicate a problem with a valve, which won’t need a major repair. However, a leak from the water heater base is more serious.

FIX: You may need a qualified plumber to replace your drain valve or TPR (temperature pressure relief) valve. When your water heater is leaking from below, your plumber might be able to fix it if you call them soon enough. Otherwise, you will need to have a new water heater installed.

Noisy Water Heater

Sometimes your water heater might make some peculiar noises, loud enough to compete with your singing in the shower. Are these a cause for alarm? It depends on exactly what kind of sounds you are hearing. Sizzles and rumbles are both red flags, indicating a heavy sediment buildup in your hot water tank that might cause a breakdown in the near future. In addition, banging is a sign of a water hammer, which can lead to serious damage to your pipes.

FIX: To stop sizzling or rumbling, turn off the tank and have it flushed by a reliable plumbing company ASAP. Ask your plumber to install a water hammer arrestor to quiet down the banging and save the pipes.

Pilot Light Keeps Going Out

Many pilot lights go out once in a while, but when your water heater pilot light keeps going out continually, it’s a problem. And the chances are good that that problem stems from either a shortage of combustible air or a malfunctioning thermocouple.

FIX: Increase the air supply around your water heater by cleaning dust and lint off the appliance and clearing any clutter from the area around it. A bad thermocouple will require expert plumbing repair and is more than basic gas water heater troubleshooting.

Water Smells Bad

The water from your residential plumbing pipes should smell neutral. If it has a strong unpleasant odour, something’s wrong. To check whether your water heater is at fault, turn on a hot water faucet and let it run for a few minutes. And, yes, use your nose to determine exactly what you are smelling.

FIX: For a garlicky odour, relight the pilot light on your water tank. When you detect the scent of garbage, you’ll need a professional plumber to flush the hot water tank and possibly replace the anode rod. A strong smell of rotten eggs could signal a hazardous gas leak; turn off the gas supply if possible, get everyone out of your house, and make an emergency call to the gas company.

Water Looks Brown Or Rusted

The first thing to do is ask yourself, “Is the brown, rusty-looking water coming only from my hot water taps?” If the answer is yes, then most likely, either the anode rod or the water heater interior is starting to rust, especially if your hot water heater is nearing the end of its life expectancy. (A “no” answer means the issue does not originate from the hot water heater but rather from the water supply.)

FIX: Contact a plumber to inspect the water heater. If you catch the problem quickly enough, it might be fixable. Otherwise, you’ll need a water heater replacement. Consider installation of an efficient new tankless water heater.

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