You count on your water heater a lot more than you might realize. In most households, the hot water gets used many times throughout the day. Anywhere from showers, to washing hands, and doing dishes, it is used a lot. Not to mention, there are a lot of other reasons it can be used as well, such as to fill the mop bucket or wetting the sponge in order to wipe down the counters, that hot water tap gets plenty of use. The water only comes out heated because of the hot water heater. Without it, the only thing that would come out of any faucet would be cold water. This is why you want to have a good understanding of your water heater and how to spot problems fast. 

The basics of water heaters

If you have a water heater that has a tank, then the water in that tank will be kept at the temperature that the water heater is set at. In homes, it is often suggested that you want to keep the water temperature set below 120 degrees. This will give you hot water, but it will also help to prevent burns from water that comes out of the tap too hot. 

You will hear the hot water kick on each time the water temperature has dipped below the appropriate degrees and it will then shut off once the water is heated again. When you turn on a hot water tap, the hot water will come from the tank. It is important for a home to have an appropriately sized tank. If the water heater is too small, then you will find that you run out of hot water when you are in the middle of using it. If the hot water heater is too large, then you will be paying to heat much more water than you need. 

Possible water heater problems

If the water heater starts making noise, then it's likely you need a plumber to come drain sediment from the tank that collects in it over time. If you see that there is water anywhere around the water heater, then have a plumber come out because you have a leak and this needs to be fixed immediately. Also, if you have mold near the water heater, then this also indicates moisture and you should call a plumber. If you are running out of hot water too soon or if you aren't getting any at all, then this is yet another reason to put a call in for the plumber.

For more information, contact a water heater repair service near you to learn more.