Worst-Case Results of a Neglected Water Heater

Water heaters are one of the most important plumbing elements in any home, and with proper water heating service and repair like the kind you get from All Hours Plumbing, Drain Cleaning, Heating & Cooling, you’ll never have to worry about it. Our trained plumbers will keep your system in proper working order with prompt, expert service.

What happens when you don’t have this kind of quality service on your side? Here are a few of the worst possible results that can take place if your water heater is neglected.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Many water heaters use gas to heat water in the home, and if this system malfunctions and is left unchecked, it can leak carbon monoxide gas into the home. Carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires kills over 400 Americans every year, and water heaters are a common source. Make sure your home has a gas detector that’s properly hooked up, and make sure you call our technicians for annual maintenance to ensure there are no gas issues in the water heater.

Explosions

In some of the worst-case scenarios we’ve been exposed to in our history servicing plumbing needs, water heater explosions can take place. Within older systems, temperature and pressure valves may fail if neglected for long periods of time – when this happens, enough pressure building up in the tank over time will cause it to burst.

In most systems, there are safeguards to keep this from happening. But even in these situations, these safeguards can fail if the system isn’t properly maintained.

Flooding

One of the most common big issues with neglected water heaters is flooding, which often takes place due to rust and corrosion that aren’t addressed over a period of years. Water heaters have an element called the anode rod that’s meant to rust naturally and prevent the rest of the tank doing so, but without proper maintenance, the rod will rust away completely and the tank itself will begin to rust as well. This will eventually allow gallons upon gallons of water to flood into the home.

For more information on water heaters or any of our other plumbing services, contact the pros at All Hours Plumbing, Drain Cleaning, Heating & Cooling today.