How to Troubleshoot a Hot Water Heater

Having a hot water heater on the fritz is a challenge for any homeowner. Most homeowners don't ever think about their hot water heaters until something goes wrong with it. Whether you're finding that the water isn't heating up as well, is taking too long to heat up or is odorous, you need to know what is wrong with your water heater so that you know how to fix it. Here are some common problems that water heaters have and how you can identify them.

Instructions

1. Smell your water. If you smell a sulphuric or other unpleasant odor, this usually means you have bacteria in your tank. This can happen over time and simply needs a chlorine flush to take away the nasty smell.

2. Listen to the pipes. If you hear a clanging sound or a whistling sound, it means that your hot water heater might be too hot, causing steam build-up. Adjust to a lower temperature.

3. Fill a bathtub with water and take note of the color. Discolored water, either brown or yellow tinged, is a sign of sediment build-up in your hot water heater. Clean the water tank by emptying it out and flushing it to remove any particles from building up inside.

4. Check your breaker if your hot water heater isn't heating at all. It could mean you've simply tripped the breaker and need to reset it by pressing the "reset" button on your breaker unit.

5. Turn off other appliances that use water if you notice that your hot water isn't lasting as long as you want it to. You could be overloading the hot water heater and depleting the hot water faster than it can replenish it.