Most people don’t think a whole lot about their water heater systems until they start to act up.
We all know the dreaded scenario: you’re in the shower and there’s no more hot water… no fun!
There are a lot of things to consider when thinking about water heater maintenance, repair, and replacement. We want that hot water to never be a problem, you deserve Flowing Freedom.
Can It Just Be Repaired?
It isn’t always necessary to replace your water heater. When considering replacement, we will help you through the process. If it isn’t immediately apparent what’s wrong, we’ll go through various checks on your water heater.
These are some of the components that can often times fail and might be worth replacing:
- Thermocouple
- Burner assembly
- Stuck gas valve
Once we determine the problem, there are decisions to be made. It really boils down to weighing the cost of the service to the time it can extend the life of the water heater.
These are some questions we ask during the process of deciding to repair or replace:
- Do you plan to live in your house longer?
- How old is your water heater?
- Is your water heater out of warranty?
We will help you walk through this process and weigh your options.
How do You Make a Water Heater Last (Almost) Forever?
The best maintenance you can perform on your water heater is to have it flushed. The sediment in the tank needs to be removed. We recommend this service being done every year.
But here’s our secret: while most water heaters have a valve for flushing, those little valves simply aren’t large enough to properly let the sediment out of the tank. People believe they are performing maintenance when all they are doing is letting water flow through the system. That serves absolutely no purpose.
So, what do we do? – We install a larger valve.
One that is large enough to let sediment freely through with no chances of it staying in the tank. These valves are why our units last much longer and provide extended Flowing Freedom.
But do you know what is better than being able to actually flush the sediment out?
Never having the sediment in the first place – by installing a water softener/treatment system.
And we can handle that too.
Is It Time to Replace your Water Heater?
On average, water heaters last 8-12 years. Any time after this range and you should really start to consider replacement. How much longer will the other parts last? Would a new system with a new warranty be a better solution?
It is time to replace your unit if you are experiencing any of these symptoms:
- Water is leaking from the water heater.
The tank has a hole that is too labor intensive to tear apart and fix. - You hear noises from the water heater when the system turns on.
Thick sediment that is built up at the bottom of the tank literally crackles and makes noise when the burner heats up. - On an electric system, you notice that you run out of water really quickly.
On electric systems there are typically multiple heating elements. One has gone bad, so the unit can’t keep up with demands.
Let us walk you through what it looks like to replace your water heater. Gaining the benefits of warranty and a new system is often hard to beat.
What Water Heaters Do We Install?
We trust Bradford White water heaters. Why? These water heaters are made in the USA. Do you know how much we love America? A whole lot!
The Bradford White brand is trusted by many. Their workmanship, warrantees, and unit life-spans are industry leading. Most of their water heater units come with a 6-year parts warranty. Because they stand behind their water heaters, and we trust them so much, we offer a 6-year labor warranty on the units we install.
“How can you do that? No one else offers such long labor warranties!”
Simple, we trust these units, because we only sell the best water heaters.