Your hot water heater is one of the units in your home that gets used more than any other. It needs to be running both day and night to ensure that water is hot when you need it. While there are many warning signs that the unit might be experiencing trouble, there are a few signs that it might be time to call your local plumbing contractor and replace your old water heater.

Sign 1 – Water Takes Longer to Warm

One of the signs that your heater needs replacement is when the water takes significantly longer to heat up the water. This is often due to the age of your water heater. While your local residential plumbing professional can do an inspection of the heating elements to see if that may be the issue, it might just be a temporary fix.

You would be better off in the long run having a new water heater installed before you are calling the plumber every month to check those heating elements. The longer it takes for the system to heat the water, the higher your eventual utility bills are going to be.

Sign 2 – Rising Utility Bills

One of the obvious signs it is time to replace the heater is your current utility bill. If you are simply spending too much in utilities to heat the water, consider having your local plumbing contract install a more energy efficient model.
Over the last few years the technologies have advanced so much that these units are using a fraction of the energy now to heat the same amount of water. You will be saving money in bills and using less resources to heat your water.

Sign 3 – Particles in Water

There are other signs you should pay close attention to as well. If these are not identified early enough, they will result in a system failure and eventual replacement. You should call your local residential plumbing company if you see particles in your water. You might also notice your water has a strong sulfur smell to it as well.

Pay close attention to the sounds coming from the heater when it is not running at full power. You should not hear banging noises coming from inside, this is an indication that either a part has broken loose or the mineral deposits inside have reached a dangerous level.

If you notice any or all of these maintenance signs in your water heater, you should call your plumbing contractor as soon as possible. They can schedule you for a new heater installation as soon as possible. The last thing you want it the system to fail and dump gallons of water throughout the house. The price for an emergency repair can be significant.