3 Things Your Hot Water Is Telling You About Your Water Heater

If you have an old water heater in your home, you may wonder whether or not you should think about replacing it soon. However, you may not be able to tell its condition simply by looking at it. If not, look at the water coming out of your faucet to see what it can tell you about your water heater.

Water Has a Metallic Taste

One thing you may have started to notice about your hot water is that it has a strange metallic taste to it. Even when you use it for cooking, the odd flavor may overpower the taste of your food.

If your water tastes like metal, this is a possible indicator that you have rust building up on the inside of your tank. As the rust penetrates the metal, the tank starts deteriorating, causing flakes to fall off into the water.

The water is then infused with the flavor of the metal and rust. A rusted tank usually cannot be repaired, which means you should think about replacing the water heater soon.

Water Is No Longer Clear

Whenever you fill a glass with hot water, it is normally cloudy for a few seconds, then it turns clear. However, you may have noticed that your water stays cloudy or has a brownish tinge to it when you hold the glass up to the light.

If your hot water is discolored, the change is color is usually a sign of sediment inside your water tank. Flushing out the tank can sometimes help.

However, if there are enough mineral deposits in your water heater to affect the color of your water, this is a pretty good indication that the sediment has built up so much that it is starting to adversely affect the valves and tank. If this is the case, you should probably have it replaced.

Water Does Not Heat up Properly

The most prominent sign you can get from your hot water that indicates your water heater is about to fail is when it no longer heats up the water properly. One minute, the water coming out of your tap may be scorching hot. Then later, it may be lukewarm at best.

When the heating element inside the water heater no longer works right, it can go through cycles of overheating the water then turning around and not heat it enough. Eventually, the element will burn up completely, leaving you with cool to lukewarm water coming out of your faucet.

If your water has any of the above characteristics, this is an indication that your water heater is failing and will need to be replaced soon. Contact a water heater installation service to discuss your options for replacing your old appliance with a new model.