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What Is the Lifespan of a Water Heater? How to Know When It’s Time for a Replacement

Water heaters that are separate from the boiler system are plentiful in New York City properties. When your water heater is on the fritz, it can be a terrible inconvenience for you, especially if you have tenants. You may have wondered: what is the lifespan of a water heater? How do you know when yours needs attention or possibly replacement? Read on for expert tips from Calray Boilers about how to spot a malfunctioning water heater and when to consider buying a new one.

What Is the Lifespan of a Water Heater?

About a decade

Most water heaters today are designed to last about ten years, give or take a few years. Depending on how you treat the appliance, you may find yourself replacing it every five years, or you might be able to make it last a long time.

How do you extend your water heater’s lifespan? Try these tips:

• Install the proper size water heater for your property, so demand won’t exceed the heater’s capacity and put excess wear and tear on it.
• Protect your water heater from the elements, especially if it’s housed on the exterior of the property.
• Check over the heater periodically, looking for leaks, loose parts, rust, debris around the burner, and the like.
• Call a professional at the first sign of trouble, as listed below.
• Have your heater serviced by an expert regularly.

Signs Your Hot Water Heater Needs to Be Repaired or Replaced

Inconsistent or no hot water

No hot water at all is obviously a sign something is wrong with your water heater. But, first, you want to rule out other problems that aren’t the fault of the heater, such as:

• Water shut off or too little pressure
• No gas supplying the burner
• Electrical issues, like a tripped breaker or disconnected wire

If those aren’t the culprit, it’s probably the heater itself. Unless you are experienced at checking and repairing water heaters, it’s time to call a professional for further evaluation, as the failure could be due to multiple causes.

We often hear from clients that their hot water is not in consistent supply. There are many reasons why this can occur, which you want to check first:

• Too much demand for hot water at peak times
• Water heater turned too low
• Intermittent electrical problems with heating or ignition
• Water heater needing insulation or shelter from the wind and cold
• Pipes needing insulation in cold weather
• Blockages in hot water distribution pipes
• Lack of sufficient pressure to supply certain parts of the building

If you can eliminate these causes, once again, it’s time to talk to your water heater experts for more assistance. It could be the thermostat is bad or that the heating element needs to be replaced, for example.

Sometimes inconsistent hot water can go on for years, but frequently it’s a precursor to the heater failing completely, so you don’t want to ignore this warning sign of impending trouble.

Strange or loud noises

Water heaters will often make new odd noises or function very loudly when they’re on their last legs or need major repairs. You should know the normal sound of your hot water heater firing to warm the contents of the tank, so anything different is worth noting.

Pay attention to gurgling, whining, crackling, popping, or banging noises. This is often due to the heater struggling to overcome a buildup of sediment and/or mineral scale at the bottom of the tank. We can come out and flush the tank and remove this material if the accumulation isn’t too extreme. If you wait too long, it could hasten the demise of the heating element at the base of the tank, which can also cause strange noises.

Dirty or cloudy water

If the water coming from your hot water spigots is heavily clouded or dirty, you can look at several causes. Most typically, this is due to sediment making its way through the pipes. Sometimes cleaning the tank can fix this, and you may want to install a water filtration system further upstream if this is a regular problem.

Dirty water can also come from a failing anode rod, bacteria, and other issues with water quality. This is another symptom you don’t want to allow to linger, as the longer it goes on, the more likely it is you’ll have to replace the heater.

Excessive rust, mineral scale or sediment buildup

Rust can make water dirty and foul-smelling, and it can gum up the heater’s parts. Mineral scale (AKA “lime” or calcium buildup) and sediment can do this as well. If you find parts of the heater encrusted with buildup of any kind, it’s time for a heavy-duty cleaning, plus a flushing of the tank. You will probably want to examine your pipes and water fixtures, too, as this issue is usually system-wide.

Tank corrosion

There’s one more problem rust can solve, and that’s tank corrosion. This means holes are forming in the tank itself. The most obvious sign of this is leaking water, most commonly below the tank. When this happens, it’s time to replace the tank and consider how to prevent rust from occurring in the new heater.

Are you having problems with the hot water heater in your property? Not sure if it’s fixable or time to budget for a replacement? Call Calray Boilers today at 212-722-5506, or reach out online to schedule an appointment before your water heater problems spell big trouble for you and your tenants.