How Long Do Water Heaters Last?
Keep your hot water system running efficiently for years to come.
Water heaters are the unsung heroes of home comfort, ensuring warm baths for your kids, hot showers for you and working hot-water appliances like washers and dishwashers. Yet, many homeowners don’t know how to recognize when their water heater is due for retirement or what factors contribute to its life expectancy. Let’s talk about how long water heaters last and the reasons why an upgrade, perhaps to a super-efficient indirect-fired water heater, might be on the horizon for some homeowners in Jamesport and throughout Long Island’s North Shore and East End.
The Lifespan of Your Water Heater
The lifespan of a typical storage-tank water heater is generally between 8 to 12 years. (On-demand and indirect-fired units last longer.) Factors that can impact a water heater’s lifespan include usage patterns and how often you flush your tank and arrange professional maintenance.
Why Water Heaters Fail
The more you use your hot water, the harder your water heater works. High-demand households may see a shorter water heater lifespan, with units lasting closer to 8 years than 12. Understanding why water heaters fail can save you from a cold surprise.
Sediment build-up is one of the most common reasons for water heater failure. As sediment accumulates in your tank, your water may become discolored, and your unit becomes less efficient.
There’s also the significant risk of tank corrosion. Once the metal of the tank wears down, leakage is inevitable, and you’ll need to scramble to replace your water heater. The reason corrosion doesn’t happen quicker is because of the anode rod in your tank. This sacrificial component plays a crucial role in preventing tank corrosion by attracting harmful particles away from the tank’s lining. Over time, however, it will stop working.
How to Extend Your Tank’s Lifespan
While no water heater lasts forever, you can improve your unit’s chances of lasting its longest by flushing it every 12 months to remove sediment. This process is simple and can be done without professional help. That said, you can reach out to Burt’s Reliable for guidance or to have us flush the tank for you.
Another way to extend a water heater’s lifespan is by lowering its thermostat. Most households don’t need scalding hot water. Reducing the temperature to 120° F can prevent burns, lower your heating oil usage and reduce wear and tear on your equipment.
Want to save even more fuel? Turn your water heater setting to Vacation mode when you leave town for an extended period.
Schedule Water Heater Maintenance with Burt’s Reliable
Regular maintenance is the key to keeping your water heater operating at peak performance over the long haul. We recommend you bring in an HVAC technician to tune up your unit each year, just as you would with your furnace or boiler.
If your water heater is getting up in years and showing signs of impending failure — discolored water, increased fuel usage, strange noises from your tank or water at the base of the unit — we can help you find and install an upgraded water heater replacement.
An increasing number of our North Shore and East End customers are turning to indirect-fired water heaters as a more energy-efficient alternative. These units use a home’s boiler to heat water rather than a standalone unit, saving space and energy. They produce robust hot water at a lower cost and have lifespans of 20 years or more!
Don’t wait for your old water heater to break down and leave you with icy showers. Get ahead of the game by contacting Burt’s Reliable for a free estimate.