Water heaters play a major role in our everyday life no matter if it is cold or hot outside. Unfortunately many people take their water heaters for granted not maintaining them the way they should. The result of their negligence is a malfunctioning or broken water heater. What can be worse than your water heater failure the moment when you need it the most? To avoid such unpleasant surprises, troubleshoot your water heater issues and repair your water heater as soon as you notice the problem. These problems are normally hard to miss: a hot water faucet fails to deliver hot water, you notice dripping or puddles near the water heater, or the tank suddenly starts making weird gurgling or popping sounds.

Standard water heater problems include a leaking tank, water that is scalding hot or not hot enough, strange noises in the tank, and tarnished or stinky water. These conditions are described below.

1. No Hot Water

Most people complain that their water heaters do not heat water at all. Fixing the water heater that doesn’t work at all will depend on whether it is gas or electric because there is a difference between a gas water heater and an electric water heater operation. In order to determine what has caused the problem, it is best to call water heater professionals.

2. Water is Not Hot Enough or Water is Scalding Hot

If your water heater does produce water, this water might be either not hot enough or extremely hot. The most obvious first step is to adjust the temperature dial of the water heater, wait for some time, and then check the running water temperature, turning on the faucet. But if adjusting the temperature dial doesn’t help, it might be the first indication that your water heater needs repair. Call the plumbers from Norwalk Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning to detect and fix the problem.

3. Not Enough Hot Water

The answer could lie in an undersized water heater which does not fulfill all your hot water needs. This could happen if you recently had some addition to your family – more children or relatives who moved in with you. If that’s the case, get a new and larger water heater. Also consider tankless water heater options because you will never run out of hot water when you get this type. However, sometimes the water heater provides less water because of the mineral deposit inside of its tank. In this case flush the water heater tank to get rid of the mineral build-up that might be decreasing the heater’s efficiency. Also check for the water heater leaks.

4. Hot Water is Discolored or Smells Bad

A strange hot water smell emerges due to a reaction between the water heater’s anode rod and water containing a high amount of sulfates. Turn on the hot water and let it run for a couple of minutes. If rotten egg odor emerges, you can flush out the hot water heater tank. If the problem is not solved, the anode rod should be replaced by a water heater repair professional.

With a gas water heater, the pilot light has most likely gone out, if you feel a garlic-like smell. Relight it back on, previously switching OFF the gas valve control. If it keeps smelling like gas, turn off the gas supply valve asap, open the windows, and call a plumber that specializes in gas water heater repairs.

5. Water Heater Pops, Bangs or Gurgles

If there is a buildup of hard water sediment in the tank, it will heat up and explode inside of it, causing all the weird sounds. You can try and flush out the tank yourself, but at this point the sediment pieces may be too large to go through the drain valve.

If water sounds like it is boiling inside the tank, overheating and a dangerous pressure buildup might be the reason. Do not wait and call a professional plumber.

At Norwalk Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning you can find solutions to all the conditions described above and have your water heater functioning as new again.