People don’t usually think about purchasing a new water heater until they notice the heater is either broken, leaking water, or when they are considering upgrading the plumbing system by investing in the new high-efficiency water heating technologies now available.

Signs of water heater problems include the following:

• The pilot light is on but the gas water heater flickers
• Circuit breaker keeps tripping for an electric heater
• Burner or heating element doesn’t respond or fails
• Only lukewarm water throughout the home
• Popping or snapping sound coming from the water heater
• Leaking water heaters
• No hot water even though heater seems fine

Repairing or replacing any of these parts is fairly inexpensive. A plumber can typically do the job for a couple of hundred bucks, but if the tank is more than 10 years old, leaking, and the job costs more than a couple hundred dollars, then you are far better off simply replacing the unit with a brand-new professional-grade water heater or tankless water heater. You could be saving money on your monthly bills with the new energy-saving water heaters now available.