The first and foremost step that comes before anything else in the process of replacing your water heater is understanding how long one can usually last and how to get the most out of it. The typical lifespan for a water heater runs right around 8 to 12 years depending on the model and year it was manufactured. The following article shares some helpful information for determining your best course of action, if your water heater isn’t performing optimally.
Understanding A Water Heater and Its Lifespan
An excellent tip to remember when talking about the life of a water heater is to have your next purchase and installation planned out ahead of time so you can replace it before it completely breaks, leaving your home without hot water availability. Be sure to keep an extra close eye on the condition and efficiency of your heater as it starts to get higher up in years in its life span so you can keep up on necessary maintenance and catch problems early before they become not fixable. Draining out the sediment build every couple months is an excellent tip to help prolong the life, effectiveness, and efficiency of your unit.
When It’s Time To Look For A New Unit
When it does becomes time to replace your water heater because it no longer works correctly or it has become completely unusable, making the right purchase will mean the difference of how much money you spend and what kind of performance the heater will deliver in your home for several years to come. When getting a new heater you’ll most likely want to get the same type of heater as last time meaning if it was a gas or electric water heater so the connection procedure is the same. You should also strive to get the most efficient model that will also be big enough to handle all of your needs as this will be a major difference on how much money you spend each year on the cost of running it. The more you know about the water usage in your home and how much money you can spend, the better chance of making the best possible purchase. Discussing this with your plumber and having them handle your replacement is wise, as they can guide you and often get a better deal on the water heater itself, as they purchase and install them everyday.
Removing The Old And Installing The New
Once you have purchased your new water heater and are ready to use it you will need to remove the old one if you haven’t already. To do this first turn off the water supply and then run all the hot water out in the sinks in the house. Then if you use a gas hookup be sure to turn off the gas valve before disconnecting. Next, you’ll need to hand cut all the plumbing lines hooked up to the unit. Finally, now you can then remove the water heater which will be heavy so be careful and get some help. When hooking up the new one you will first want to get the water heater placed in the right spot and connect all the needed water hoses. Then you will want turn on the water supply while still leaving the hot water faucet open so they can run for one minute before turning them off. Lastly, you can then reconnect the wires to the new unit, turn the power on, and wait for the water to start to heat up. If you have any issues or questions about water heaters you can reach out to an expert that specializes in DC water heater repair for professional advice and service.