Have you ever experienced that awful moment when you’re standing in a nice hot shower, calmly shampooing your hair, and suddenly you feel as though tiny needles of ice are being injected into your skin? You scramble to get out of the path of the freezing water, and after several moments of waiting in vain to see if the hot water is going to return you sigh and resign yourself to having to get out of the shower. And just like that, your whole day is ruined.
Usually there are signs that your hot water system is on its last legs and people just don’t notice them. Some signs that all is not well with your hot water system include:
- Rust-coloured water – If rust-coloured water is coming out of your taps and/or showerhead when you turn on the hot water, then the odds are high that the inside of your water heating unit is corroding.
- Bad odour – If your hot water starts smelling bad as it comes out of the tap it means that there is a sediment build-up in your hot water tank.
- Running out of hot water more quickly than usual – If you used to be able to have half an hour showers and suddenly can’t go more than 10 minutes without the hot water running out then there is probably something wrong with your hot water heater.
- Noises – If there are noises coming from inside your hot water heater then it usually means that the water is overheating. This is usually caused by sediment build-up, but may be another issue.
- Water heater is leaking – Water leaking from your water heater can be caused by several things, including pipes coming loose, the temperature pressure valve (TPR) not being closed properly or the bottom of the tank being rusted through.
If your hot water heater is showing any of these signs, we recommend that you contact a professional plumber immediately to diagnose the problem before the damage is irreparable.
