Are your clothes and dishes not getting clean enough? Are your showers uncomfortably cold? If your water heater isn’t operating as well as it used to, or if it never operated as well as you needed it to, you may be asking yourself what’s going on!? The answer could be anything, but here are the most common causes of water heating problems…
Broken Dip Tube
A broken dip tube is one of the main reasons water heaters might suddenly stop working. The dip tube is the tube that brings cold water to the bottom of your water heater tank. If the dip tube is broken, the cold water and hot water mix, making your “hot water” now cooler.
Sediment Buildup
Mineral rich water can create sediment buildup in pipes, appliances and your hot water heater over time. It reduces the efficiency of your water heating, creating insulation on your water heating element and preventing it from heating the water effectively.
Needs Repair or Replacing
Water heaters have an operation lifespan of about 10 years. If your water heater is older, and the efficiency of the water heater has decreased over time, there’s a good chance it’s in need of some repair or a replacement.
Improper Sizing
As with any home comfort system, size is important. If your household’s hot water needs are causing strain on a system too small to handle it, you’ll find your water gets colder faster. Upgrading to a larger system, or supplementing your hot water system with some tankless water heaters, can help with this problem.
The best way to figure out what’s going on with your home’s water heating system is to contact North Shore Fuel! Our technicians are highly skilled at troubleshooting and assessing a wide array of home comfort systems. We’ll work with you to find the most affordable solution!
