Last month we talked about the general lifespan of a home's water heater. This month we are going to discuss when it is the right time to replace it altogether.
As we touched on in our last blog, a water heater requires maintenance over time. You may have started to notice puddles of water under the water heater, or perhaps your showers turn cold, etc. all signs that indicate the need for repair. Even if the water heater is not showing these signs but is at the end of its average lifespan, is it worth spending the money on it to keep it maintained?
Besides the water heater's age, you will also want to check if it is still under warranty. If it still has some warranty left on it, look to see whether it covers the cost of labor as well as the replacement parts. The work is often not covered under the warranty and this can end up being rather expensive. For example, one job that can be a difficult one to do is replacing the sacrificial anode, which is a part that commonly needs to be replaced. If the job is not done properly, it can easily damage the water heater. The warranty may also become void by replacing this part. With this in mind, if the water heater is very old, you should consider if it is worth it to fix the old one or replace it with a new one.
To give you another idea of whether or not to repair your old water heater or install a new one, consider the amount of money you spend every year on average maintaining it. If it turns out to be more than 10 percent of the amount it costs to purchase and install a new one, it might be better just to replace it altogether.
If you are still wondering what the best thing to do is, why not have the water heater inspected? This will help you find out what condition the existing water heater is in and give you a much better indication of whether to replace it or not.
As we touched on in our last blog, a water heater requires maintenance over time. You may have started to notice puddles of water under the water heater, or perhaps your showers turn cold, etc. all signs that indicate the need for repair. Even if the water heater is not showing these signs but is at the end of its average lifespan, is it worth spending the money on it to keep it maintained?
Besides the water heater's age, you will also want to check if it is still under warranty. If it still has some warranty left on it, look to see whether it covers the cost of labor as well as the replacement parts. The work is often not covered under the warranty and this can end up being rather expensive. For example, one job that can be a difficult one to do is replacing the sacrificial anode, which is a part that commonly needs to be replaced. If the job is not done properly, it can easily damage the water heater. The warranty may also become void by replacing this part. With this in mind, if the water heater is very old, you should consider if it is worth it to fix the old one or replace it with a new one.
To give you another idea of whether or not to repair your old water heater or install a new one, consider the amount of money you spend every year on average maintaining it. If it turns out to be more than 10 percent of the amount it costs to purchase and install a new one, it might be better just to replace it altogether.
If you are still wondering what the best thing to do is, why not have the water heater inspected? This will help you find out what condition the existing water heater is in and give you a much better indication of whether to replace it or not.
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