6 Most Common Water Heater Problems and Solutions

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6 Most Common Water Heater Problems and Solutions

If you use a water heater in your home, you’ll know how important it is to maintain this equipment. A malfunctioning water heater can lead to endless problems with the pipes, leaky connections, and even an overflowing appliance. However, these issues are not always simple to diagnose. That’s where this article comes into play; we’ve compiled information on the 6 most common water heater problems that people experience at home – and what might cause them!

1. Water is Very Hot

If you’re having an issue with very hot water, first check to see the level of the thermostat. If the thermostat is set at too high, turn it down. This is the most common mistake which leads to water coming out hotter than it should. If turning down the thermostat reduces the hotness amount, then you’re finished. Everything is working as it should!

However, if this doesn’t fix the problem, then this could be due to a malfunction within the system itself. If the temperature seems to be correct on your thermostat but still too hot, the problem might lie in your temperature pressure valve. If the pressure valve has a fault in it, you may need to replace it or get in touch with a licensed professional immediately.

2. Water is not Hot Enough

If you’re having issues with cold water coming from a hot water line, then there are a few things that you need to figure out before calling the professionals.

First of all, if your heater comes with a tank, it could be possible that the tank is not big enough for all the family members. If the tank is too small for the total number of people showering, the beginners may use up all the hot water. If this is the issue, you may try buying a large water tank or a powerful heater that can work faster.

Secondly, if you’ve been using the system for a while and you’re only having this issue now, then there may be something wrong with heating elements, commonly the thermostat. So, checking out the thermostat may help you to identify the issue.

Thirdly, if you have a tankless water heater, you may face this issue in the winter, as the heater might not be powerful enough to produce hot water quickly. In that case, buying a powerful heating unit will help to get enough hot water.

3. Inconsistent Temperature

Another issue that could be caused by a faulty thermostat is the system not holding temperature. It has been seen that sometimes water becomes hot initially, but it doesn’t hold the appropriate temperature later. This may happen if your thermostat is defective.

Most residential hot water heaters have both lower and upper heaters as well as thermostat. If any of these heaters has issues you may face inconsistency in the temperature. In such a case, you may be required to replace the faulty thermostat, if it is not fixable.

4. Water Pressure is Low

Even if you are getting enough hot water, sometimes you may have low pressure. Mostly low water pressure may occur due to not having wide pipes. Normally, old modeled homes contain ½” while most updated homes contain ¾” pipes.

So, if your home is an old model and if you are facing low water pressure, you may need to double check the pipes. If they are not wide enough you will need to consider fitting the pipe line with wider pipes.

5. Pilot Light Goes Out

When you have a gas water heater, the pilot light will go out on occasion. A gas water heater pilot light goes out for various reasons. If it doesn’t light at all, this may occur due to the tube being blocked or due to the pilot light orifice. Another reason can be loose or faulty thermocouple. Commonly a faulty thermocouple may lead to pilot light going out. Further, there is a possibility that there is air in the gas line. In addition to that, there is a possibility that the gas line contains air in it. A blocked vent may also create the issue. In such cases, replacing the thermocouple may resolve the issues.

6. Burner Now Working

If the burner goes out, it may be caused due to the similar issues we have mentioned earlier for the pilot lights. So, burner may not work if there is an issue with the thermocouple, blocked orifice or even due to a dirty vent.

7. Water Leak

Another very important things to be careful while dealing with water heater problems is, water leakage. For this reason, heater may not perform up to the mark. So, water leaking has to be stopped to get the maximum result.

Final Words

Most people take their hot water heater for granted and let it go without servicing it or even checking the water pressure. Despite its small size, a water heater has a huge capacity to last for years when properly maintained. However, when not well-maintained, problems can develop that threaten your home’s plumbing and electric system. Hopefully, this guideline will help you to detect the problems.

Sophie Turner
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