FAQs

If your hot water heater is less than 8 years old, and is NOT leaking, a qualified technician at Water Heater Man, Inc. can repair it.  However, if the hot water heater is leaking, or if it is more than 8 years old, the unit should be replaced since it would likely cost more to repair than to buy a new appliance.

On average, the life expectancy of a residential water heater is about 8-10 years, depending on the following circumstances:

1. Is there a water softener installed? If the answer is yes, the life expectancy of the water heater can be reduced. Water softeners filter out the calcium and magnesium found in hard water so these minerals don’t come into the water heater. However, the salt used in the water softener causes the heater’s anode rod to deteriorate rapidly, placing the appliance at risk for corrosion after one to two years.
2. Excess Thermal Expansion – The laws of physics dictate that as water heats, it expands. A typical standard water heater tank can handle a modest amount of thermal expansion. Problems occur when there are no faucets open to release the excess pressure caused by the water heating up. As a result, the T&P (temperature and pressure relief valve) will start to drip to release the excess pressure. Thermal Expansion can be evident immediately upon a new installation or years in the future. If Thermal Expansion is present, a properly sized expansion tank can be installed to cure this problem.

Anode Rods protect residential water heater tanks from corrosion. A typical water heater contains one or two factory-installed Anode rods, depending on the type of tank warranty. An anode rod is made from aluminum or magnesium, which reacts to substances in the water, causing an electrochemical reaction that draws corrosion to itself, rather than the glass lining of the water heater tank.

Sediment builds up in a water heater based on the hardness of your water. When the drain valve is opened for flushing, the heater will not drain the big particles or sediment rocks because the valve’s opening is not big enough to let them pass through. That’s why we don’t recommend draining your heater.  If you want your heater drained, please call our office and schedule an appointment. Once you open the drain valve, sediment particles can get into the rubber seal and not allow the drain valve to close properly and can cause your valve to leak. 

Water gets colder when the weather is colder because the temperatures are lower in the air and underground. When you use a large volume of hot water, it will take longer to heat up the cold water coming into the tank because the pipes have cooled off overnight due to the colder weather. As your water heater runs for a morning shower, for example, more cold water comes in and cools everything back down. Give us a call to learn about the different options for saving water and getting hot water right away.

Conventional – peace of mind, minimal maintenance, lower purchase cost.

Tankless – Higher purchase cost, required maintenance, must have filter or water softener, gas and venting may have to be upgraded. 

Please call us at 800-372-1800 to discuss this question more in depth.

In some jurisdictions a drain pan is required by code.  It is recommended to have a drain pan installed, as this will help protect the surrounding areas from water damage if the heater as a slow leak and the drain pan has a drain line plumbed to a drain or outside of the house. 

Repairs on average take an hour to an hour and a half.  Location of the water heater, access, and difficulty of complaint will also contribute to the length of a service call.

Not at this time.  The only plumbing we do is affiliated with the water heater.

Most residential water heaters have a 6 year tank leakage, 6 year parts, and 1 year labor on manufacture defects warranty.  10 year warranties can also be purchased at time of install. 

Repairs – a model and serial number allow us to ensure we have the correct parts on our truck so that we can provide service on the first trip. 

Water heaters – We want to make sure your replacement water heater is compatible to your existing heater in size and recovery.  Having a model and serial number allows to ensure this and allows us to determine if there is any warranty left on your water heater. 

The model and serial number are located on a sticker on the front of the water heater.  This sticker is called the rating plate.  It also has all the other pertinent information for your water heater. 

The new water heaters have intake screens at the bottom of the water heater that have to be clean and free of debris for proper operations.  If the area is dirty, this can cause a pilot outage.   When serving a water heater, the service technician needs to have space to work on the equipment.

We try to carry the most common parts for the water heater and this is why we ask for the model and serial number. 

At this current time, we stock Bradford White water heaters.  Although this is what we stock, we have access to any brand water heater should you request a different brand. 

Normally there is a isolation valve on the cold water supply to the water heater.  This valve is located on the above the water heater on the right hand side water line.  This valve can either be a ball valve (has a handle) that has to be turned 90 degrees or a gate valve (has a knob) that has to be turned clockwise.  If you are unsure and this is an emergency situation, you should call the fire department. 

On you gas line going to your water heater, there should be an isolation valve that has a knob that has to be turned.  This is usually a ball valve with a handle that has to be turned 90 degrees.  There are also some that have to be turned 180 degrees.   If you are unsure and this is an emergency situation, you should call the fire department. 

To prevent floods and leaks, the best thing you can do is have it serviced annually by a company who has a qualified technician that can come out and inspect it. Typically, they can cite things that signal the beginning of a leak, improper burning, carbon monoxide issues and gas leaks. Those are all things they would check for with an annual inspection.