The water heater in your home is designed to last a long time, but it won’t be without problems here and there. The best way to stay ahead of problems is to schedule water heater maintenance. You can also pay attention to how your water heater operates and learn the signs that something may be wrong.
When you do notice that your water heater is not quite working as it usually does, you can give our team a call for water heater repair in Calgary. In the meantime, you can keep reading to learn more about both common and uncommon water heater repairs that we see and the signs of each one.
Common Water Heater Repairs
Water Temperature
Your water heater can have a variety of temperature problems. If you have no hot water at all, then your heating element may be malfunctioning. If your water is lukewarm, that’s a sign that you could have hard water mineral buildup blocking the heating element from being able to increase the water temperature adequately.
Leaks
Leaks are also common in water heaters, although they always indicate that something is wrong. Ignoring the leak so that it continues can allow oxygen into the tank which introduces and speeds up corrosion. If the inside of your water tank corrodes, it has to be replaced.
Unusual Sounds
We already mentioned mineral buildup from hard water above. You will know if you have mineral buildup because your water heater will make a knocking sound when it is heating water. The sound is actually the minerals moving around inside the water tank. Even though these minerals are so small that you can’t see them when you pour a cup of water, they can build up quickly over time and cause a lot of problems.
Uncommon Water Heater Repairs
Cracked Dip Tube
The dip tube inside of your water tank is the incoming source of room temperature water that refills your tank as you use hot water around your home. This dip tube is channeled toward the bottom of your water tank to push cold water down to the heating element.
This way, hot water stays at the top, where it continues moving out into your home when a hot water faucet gets turned on. If this dip tube is cracked, it may allow cold water to spill over on top of already heated water instead of pushing it to the bottom of the tank.
Pressure Release Valve
The top of your water tank has a pressure release valve. It does just as the name implies. When pressure builds up too much inside of your water tank, this valve opens up to help lower the pressure before it becomes problematic. If this valve is not secure, it can leak water too when it releases pressure.
Leaks around your water tank are always a problem because they can lead to corrosion. Leaks are more common at other valves and less common at the pressure release valve. But no matter where you have a leak, it’s important to get it fixed sooner rather than later.
Contact Ace Plumbing and Heating today to schedule an appointment for your plumbing and HVAC needs. Happy Today or You Don’t Pay!