Unlike tankless water heaters, standard type gas and electric water heaters use an insulated storage tank. The construction or anatomy of a gas tank type water heater is explained in the tutorial Anatomy of the Gas Water Heater.
Having water heater problems can be extremely frustrating. Different types of heaters can have different issues, but generally gas water heater problems, tankless water heater problems and electric water heater problems can sometimes be the same. When it comes to fixing these problems, the majority of the time a professional will need to be used in order to ensure that the problems are fixed in the long term and not just the short term.
A major issue that a lot of people find they have when it comes to water heater problems is that they have no hot water at all. When fixing this problem, it is certainly worth checking to see whether or not the breaker on the heating system has not been tripped. Sometimes water heater problems are not directly related to the breaker. If this is the case, then the next thing to check would be the thermostat. If the thermostat is not working correctly, then the water will not heat to the right temperature, or at all in some cases.
Tankless water heater problems can sometimes be much harder to fix. The problem is that finding the issue can be much harder, even for a qualified engineer. This means that even when a professional is called in, the time they take to fix the issue will end up costing lots of cash in the long run. Try fixing the problems without the help of an engineer first.
Electric water heater problems can be extremely confusing. A lot of heating engineers focus their energy on gas based systems. This means that trying to find a electric heating engineer can be a much harder task. Remember that gas engineers will have plenty of experience when it comes to all sorts of water heater problems, even if they are electric. Speaking to a gas engineer could mean that the problems quickly get sorted.
Some people that are having electric water heater problems might find that they are getting just a minimal amount of hot water, and that it does not last very long. If this is the case then the most obvious thing to check would be whether or not the heating system is big enough for the actual property. If it is not, then it will not be sustainable in the long term. For instance, it may provide enough hot water for one or two hot showers and then suddenly go cold.
Water heaters are generally very reliable but occasionally they do have problems. These problems can include:
- No hot water
- Inadequate hot water
- Rust colored water
- Rotten egg odor
- Low rumbling or popping noise
- Higher pitched whining
- Water leaking around base of heater
Before any troubleshooting is done on the water heater, make sure to prepare safely for the job by doing the following:
- Turn off power to an electric water heater. Do this by turning off the circuit breaker or fuse powering the heater.
- Turn gas pilot control valve to "pilot" setting.
- Shut off water supply to water heater.
Let's take a look at each problem and what possible causes and repairs exist.
And for reference, here is a great cut away photo of worn and damaged electric water heater components.
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