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Making A Home Your Family Will Love

When it comes to creating a gorgeous interior space, your home will only be as beautiful as your family allows it to be. If your children don't respect the space, your home will quickly fall back into disrepair, which is why I started focusing more and more on home and garden a few years ago. I was committed to creating a great space that was just as clean and gorgeous as it was functional, and I was really surprised to see how much of a difference my efforts made. Within a few short years, my place really seemed a lot more open, airy, and inviting. Check out this blog for great ideas on making a family-oriented home.

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Making A Home Your Family Will Love

3 Important Things To Check Before Buying A Used Water Heater For Your Home

by Alice Howard

If the water heater you currently have in your home goes out unexpectedly, you may find yourself struggling to come up with the money to buy a brand new appliance on such short notice. In these situations, buying a used water heater can seem like a good idea. Occasionally, you will find a used water heater for sale when a homeowner makes an upgrade or replacement. While buying used can seem like a logical financial decision in the moment, you really do have to be careful with buying this used appliance. Take a look at some important things you should know before you buy a water heater that has previously been used in another home. 

Make sure you know how old the water heater is before you buy it. 

Water heaters have a limited lifespan and do not last forever. For example, the traditional water heater with a tank will last somewhere between 8 and 12 years. Therefore, if you are buying a used unit, one of the first things you will want to know from the seller is when the water heater was purchased and how long it has been in use. 

Check the water heater for signs of leaks. 

There are several points of entry and exit on a basic water heater. The release valve at the base, the exit lines on the upper part of the tank, and pressure release valves on the top are all examples of places where water can enter or exit. Check all of these areas for signs of leaks when you are looking at a used water heater. If the unit has been steadily leaking for long periods, you will usually be able to tell by discoloration around the entry and exit points caused by excess moisture over time.

Find out if the heating elements have ever been replaced. 

Water heaters function by heating the water with heating elements inside of the tank. These elements are fairly easy to replace and don't cost a great deal, but you will definitely want to know if the elements have ever been replaced before you buy a used unit. The heating elements tend to fail long before the water heater itself, so if the tank is several years old and the elements have never been replaced, you can expect to have to do so yourself if you do go ahead and by the used water heater.

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