Problems with your home's water heater can quickly create major quality-of-life problems for every in the home. Without a source of hot water, it could be extremely difficult to shower, clean dishes, and wash clothes. Not surprisingly, this makes it necessary to have a reasonable understanding of the types of problems that you could realistically have to address with your home's water heater.
Overheating
The threat of the water heater overheating can be a concern that many homeowners will not give sufficient attention. However, it is possible for these units to suffer major damage as a result of the unit overheating. For example, this could permanently damage the heating elements, cause computer components to fail, and cause the water to be far too hot when it comes out. Often, this problem is due to either heating elements malfunctioning and producing far too much heat or the temperature regulator for the system failing.
Failing To Fully Refill
After you have used the water heater, its reservoir will need to refill. Unfortunately, if this does not happen, it will be possible for the water heater to run out of hot water far more quickly the next time that you use it. There will be a specialized component on the interior of the water heater that will be responsible for regulating the amount of water that fills up the unit. If this component fails, the unit may not fully refill.
This problem may not always be readily obvious as it will depend on the extent of this problem. For example, a system that is mostly filling back up after each use may make it harder for a homeowner to recognize that they have less hot water available than normal. As a result, if you are noticing this problem with your system, you should schedule a repair promptly as it may indicate that the issue is relatively severe.
Leaks
A water heater will often have a large reservoir that will hold many gallons of water. This makes leaks with these systems particularly damaging to building as they can release a large amount of water into the structure. It may be possible for a leaking water heater to be patched, but this will require the source of the leak to be identified. This can be more difficult than you may suspect as some of these leaks can be extremely small and located in isolated or other areas of the system that will be hard to see.
Contact a hot water heater repair contractor to learn more.
