Unlike heating systems and air conditioners, the water heaters in Colchester, VT operate all throughout the year. Rain, shine, or snow, your house still needs to have a steady supply of hot water that’s ready with a turn of the faucet. Too many basic everyday tasks would become difficult if not impossible if you had a non-functioning water heater in your house.
This is why it is important to pay attention to indications that the water heater is malfunctioning or running down. The sooner you can call for our water heater repair experts to fix the problem, the easier and less costly it will be to fix. Best of all, you’ll avoid a sudden loss of hot water—or even an early water heater replacement.
What to Watch For
A water heater in need of professional repairs can alert you to the problem in a number of ways. Here are the most common signs:
- Kettling: This is a sound like a boiling tea kettle coming from the tank of the water heater. The cause of this is a sediment layer along the bottom of the tank, which is trapping the water heated by the heat exchanger, which then bubbles up through the sediment layer. You’ll need to have the tank flushed before the sediment blocks too much of the heat exchanger.
- Rumbling: Don’t panic—your water heater isn’t likely to explode! This sound often means that hot and cold water are mixing at the top of the tank, which is a common problem in older water heaters because of a broken dip tube. The sound can also mean the water is overheating. There are a number of reasons this can happen; a plumber can find out the specific problem.
- Leaking: The only place where water should be leaking out of the water heater is at the pressure release valve. If you see water dripping or pooling anywhere else, call for a plumber immediately!
- Drop in water temperature: Is your hot water simply not hot enough? We don’t recommend tampering with the aquastat (temperature control) on the water heater, because it can lead to suddenly scalding water. Call for help to find out why the water heater isn’t doing its job as well as it’s supposed to.
- Discolored hot water: A rusty tint to the water coming from your hot water taps is something you may expect after coming back from a long vacation. You shouldn’t see it at other times. If you run hot water, but the discoloration is still there, call a plumber.
- Corrosion: Any sign of corrosion or rust on a water heater is a serious problem. Water heaters are designed to defend against corrosion, but it can still happen in older water heaters. Sometimes this can be fixed if the corrosion is limited to a part like the heat exchanger. Otherwise, a corroded water tank needs to be replaced.
Our Red Rock Mechanical water heater pros are ready to help when you need it. We have emergency repairs available in case you lose your hot water at the worst possible time.
Red Rock Mechanical, LLC serves Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York. Request an estimate today.
