For most homeowners, the water heater is a pretty basic appliance. We use it to do things like shower, wash dishes and clothes, and of course as an emergency source of drinking water when you run out of bottled or filtered water. But after 10 years or so, the performance of your old water heater starts to decline. When this happens it's often time to repair or replace them with a new one.

The water heater is an essential part of our everyday lives, and when it stops working, it can be a major inconvenience. Some of the problems people experience when their water heater goes bad is that it takes longer to get hot water, their hot water runs out faster, the water heating is not hot enough as desired, the tank may leak and in some cases it may even explode causing substantial damage to your home or commercial property.

What most people don't realize is that there are many things homeowners can do in order to prevent problems with their water heater before they happen. Do you know how to tell if your water heater is going bad?