Having a water heater fail suddenly can be incredibly frustrating. Here some ways you can tell that your water heater may be failing. If you think this is the case, then call a professional immediately to assess the situation.
Age
Always keep track of how old your water heater is. It should have a sticker on it that displays important information, including when it was installed. In most cases, you can find this on the serial number. While they are all similar, each manufacturer uses a different code to represent the date, so check with yours to see how old your unit is. If it is more than 10 years old, then you should start thinking about replacing it. Do not wait too long, or you may end up with a leak.
Rusty-Colored Water
If your water looks rusty when you run it on hot, then it may be that the inside of your water heater is rusting and may fail soon. However, it could be that your pipes are rusty, and not the heater. To test which, drain the water from your water heater to see if it is rusty.
Moisture Around Your Water Heater
If you have noticed water collecting around your heater, or even moisture nearby, then it may be that there is a leak. The metal of your water heater will expand when it heats up, which will only make cracks get worse. However, test out the fittings and pipes around the heater to make sure it isn’t one of them that is the culprit.
No matter what, the best thing to do if you notice any of these symptoms is to call a professional for help. You may be tempted to try to fix your water heater yourself, but without the proper training and expertise, you may end up making the problem worse inadvertently.