When Your Water Heater Abruptly Ceases Working: How to Do
When Your Water Heater Abruptly Ceases Working: How to Do
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Several contemporary residences use an electrical hot water heater for their furnace, as a result of its comfort as well as ease of use. Nevertheless, much like any other electrical appliances, problems might emerge with its use, all of a sudden. It can be really aggravating to get up to a cold shower rather than a warm one or having your bathroom with water that isn't warm sufficient or perhaps also hot. Whatever the case might be, hot water heater issues can be rather stressful. Luckily, we've made a list of possible remedies to your hot water heater problems. There are a variety of aspects that might trigger much of these troubles, maybe an issue with the power supply, the electric burner, or the thermostat. Before doing anything, ensure you turn off the major power supply for safety and security. Whatever the issue is, getting it dealt with ought to not posture excessive of an issue if you adhere to these steps:
Examine Your Power Supply:
As basic as this might seem, it is very essential. Without sufficient power, your water heater will certainly not operate. So the first thing to do when your water unexpectedly stops working is to confirm that it isn't a power problem. Examine if the fuse is burnt out or the circuit breaker stumbled. If the circuit breaker is the problem, merely transform it on and off once again. Change any kind of damaged or worn-out fuse. Check the appliance with power after these adjustments to see if it's currently functioning.
Inspect the Heating Element in the Hot Water Heater:
If it's not a power issue, then try checking out your heating element if it is still working. Examine each of your heating elements to make sure the trouble isn't with any one of them. If any of them is malfunctioning, change that part and after that examine whether the hot water is back on.
Inspect Your Thermostat:
If your hot water heater still isn't working or the water appearing isn't hot sufficient, you might require to check the temperature level settings on your upper thermostat. Guarantee the circuit breaker is turned off before doing anything. Open the gain access to panel as well as press the red switch for temperature reset over the thermostat. This should assist heat the water. Turn the circuit breaker back on as well as inspect if the problem has been dealt with.
Call A Specialist:
If after changing all damaged components and resetting your temperature, the water heater still isn't working, you may need to call an expert plumber for a professional opinion. The problem with your heating system could be that the hot and cold taps have actually been switched over or it may be undersized for the amount of hot water needed in your house. Whatever the situation may be, a specialist plumber would certainly aid address the problem.
Conclusion
Water heater problems are not always significant. Many of them result from minor concerns like a blown fuse or worn-out burner. Replacing the damaged components must work. Nevertheless, if you are still unable to solve the issue, give a call to your local plumber to come to get it fixed.
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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