Most people don't give a lot of daily thought to their hot water heater. It's usually just some appliance down in the basement that takes up space — until it doesn't work properly, that is. Then it can become all a homeowner can think about: Why is there water all over the floor? Why can't I get a hot shower? Why is my tap water tinted orange?

But never fear — whatever your hot water heater problem, we can take care of it.

The average life span of a hot water heater is 10-15 years, but most are only carry a six year warranty. There are a couple of warning signs that your hot water heater may be showing signs of wear.

• When you turn on the faucet, the water comes out orange for just a short time. Hot water heaters are made of steel, lined with glass, which protects the steel from rusting. But that glass does fracture in time. If you see orange-tinted water even for a short time when you first turn on the tap, it may mean the glass liner has fractured and water is coming in contact with the steel. This problem generally means it's time for a whole new unit.
• Water has seeped onto the floor. If you're seeing water on the floor, it means the tank has definitely been compromised and it's time for a new water heater.

Maintenance: To keep your standard hot water heater operating as smoothly and efficiently as possible, homeowners can take steps on their own:

• Re-lighting a pilot light. We'll walk you through it over the phone if you need help.
• Flushing the tank. This should be done once a year. Flushing helps maintain efficiency by cleaning sediment and calcium deposit from the tank and cleaning debris from the burn chamber. We're happy to walk you through this over the phone, or this is a service we can provide for you.

Go Tankless

When the time comes for a new water heater, we can help. If you're looking for the energy efficient and in hot water heaters, ask us about going tankless. One of the best features of a tankless hot water heater is that you will ALWAYS have hot water — you can not run it dry. This is because the water is heated through the piping instead of in a tank.

When you turn on your hot water tap, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit, where a gas burner heats the water. You don't need to wait for a storage tank to fill to enjoy a nice, hot, long shower! Tankless hot water heaters can provide 6 to 10 gallons of hot water per minute.

Tankless water heaters are also more energy efficient. They are generally rated at 95% to 98% efficient, while a standard hot water heater is 62%-78% efficient. That means you'll use about 1/3 less natural gas for your hot water AND you not paying to heat stored water when it's not being used. We can also repair a broken part on a tankless system, and most have a 20 year warranty, versus replacing a standard hot water heater due to a leak.