We often don’t realize how much we need hot water until we don’t have it. This means that our hot water heaters play a much larger role in our homes than we realize. If you’ve noticed things like no hot water, foul-smelling hot water, or dirty water, you might have an issue with your water heater. At American Plumbing Service, we understand that you probably want to try to fix the problem yourself before calling in a plumber, so we have some water heater repair tips to resolve common issues in Menifee.
Problem: no hot water
On the rare occasion, you might run into a situation where your hot water is completely gone. Two typical causes of this issue are that you’ve tripped the circuit breaker or blown a fuse in your water heater. If neither of these is the case, check the pilot light. Simply relight it and you should be back in business.
Problem: too hot of water
It is possible to have too hot of water. This is especially true if you have small children in your home. You’ll notice that your water is getting exceptionally hot even after running for a short period of time. This is typically a simple fix that requires turning down the thermostat on your unit. If your water remains too hot, you could have a faulty thermostat or another part.
Problem: dirty water
If your water is coming out of the faucet dirty, you probably have a build-up of sediment inside your water heater. To fix this, you can flush your water heater, which is done with the following steps:
- Shut off the power supply.
- Connect a water hose to the bottom of your unit.
- Shut off the inlet water valves.
- Place the hose outside to drain.
- Open the drain valve.
- Let the tank drain completely (turn on the hot water in the house to make it move faster).
- Turn on the cold water inlet for a few minutes.
- Turn off nearby faucets after they stop making noise.
- Open the drain again until the tank is empty.
You might need to repeat this process two or three times before the water runs clear. Once you’ve finished, be sure to return your water heater back to its normal working condition.
Problem: not enough hot water
Before we go into too much detail about what to do if you don’t think you’re getting enough hot water, let’s establish a typical amount. Standard hot water heaters provide two-thirds of their capacity as hot water. This means that a 50-gallon tank provides a little more than 33 gallons of hot water. A shower usually uses two gallons of hot water every minute, which makes for about 17 minutes or two or three showers. If it doesn’t feel like you’re getting that much water, then you could have a problem.
If there’s a build-up of sediment in your water heater tank, it can make the heating element work harder than usual. This makes it so that the amount of hot water you’re getting is reduced. A flush should help get rid of the sediment. There could also be a leak in your water heater tank that makes it so that it’s not filling up all the way. Check hoses to make sure they’re fully connected.
Problem: smelly hot water
The first thing to do if you believe your hot water smells bad is to verify that it’s only the hot water that smells. If your cold water smells, then it’s not an issue with your water heater. This could also be due to a build-up of sediment or a gas leak. To check for a gas leak, turn off the pilot light and the gas valve. If the gas smell doesn’t go away after a few minutes, get out of the building and call your gas company immediately.
Solution: call American Plumbing Service
If you’re still not able to take care of your water heater repair on your own, call American Plumbing Service right away. We proudly serve our neighbors in Menifee, CA, and want to make sure you have hot water in your home when you need it. Our team will have your hot water heater up and running in no time.
