A Drip At The Base… It’s Time To Replace!

The lowly water heater. Most of the time it sits, neglected, in your basement or crawl space. Delivering hot water whenever you turn on the tap, it fires up to heat more water for the next shower, dishwasher or laundry cycle.

Most of us don’t know that the average life of a water heater is 8 – 12 years – so if you don’t remember when you last replaced your water heater, it’s time to take a look at it.

Examine the body and piping for rust, kinks, dents, and other deformities. Every water heater should be serviced by a working shut-off valve that can be used during replacement, or if problems surface.

You shouldn’t see any puddles around the water heater. If you see water coming from the base, like the photo on the left, it’s time to replace it as soon as you can. A leak at the base will not heal itself or go away. The water in the picture is reddish, probably from rust in the tank.

Think about it – your water heater holds 40, 50, or more gallons of water. When it empties, the system obediently delivers more water to the tank to heat. Your basement could fill up very quickly.

So – examine your water heater today. If you see puddles, give us a call. We’ve even got a coupon to save money on a new water heater installation, just click on the Coupons tab above. You don’t want to end up with a flooded basement.

– Deb Axness