Do you take good care of your water heater? These units are of indispensable importance for households, as they provide homeowners with hot water at all times.
Nevertheless, most individuals aren’t aware of the significance of these hot tanks until they eventually break down. When these units fail to perform their function, homeowners cannot have a shower or wash their dishes.
Therefore, every homeowner should perform regular maintenance to prevent such breakdowns from happening, such as insulating and draining the tank, having it serviced, turning the temperature down, installing a heat trap, replacing the anode rod, etc.
Make sure to follow these maintenance tips regularly.
Insulate it
One of the best ways to maintain your water heater is by providing it with proper insulation. It is believed that insulation reduces heat loss up to forty-five percent, whereas it saves on water heating costs up to sixteen percent. A large number of old models come with no insulation, meaning the unit will use more energy than normal.
Unless the unit is insulated in a proper manner, it will face difficulties in maintaining the desired temperature. This scenario can be compared to an AC running in summer while one of your windows is open, letting warm air inside. Anyhow, by having it insulated, heat will be prevented from escaping. As a result, the unit won’t be forced to work harder to perform its heating function.
Moreover, homeowners can have their water heaters insulated by wrapping them with an insulated blanket. These blankets aren’t demanding in terms of installation and provide better efficiency. Nowadays, there are various High Point water heater services provided by licensed and fully certified technicians. If you don’t wish to perform this task on your own, you can hire professionals to perform the job for you.
Apart from reducing the cost of your energy bills, insulation blankets extend the lifespan of the tank. The strain on the unit will be significantly reduced, as it won’t have to be work as hard as before. Nevertheless, remember to contact the manufacturer before installing insulation in order not to void the warranty.
Drain it
Another effective water heater maintenance tip is draining the unit on an annual basis. This task involves cleaning out the inside of the tank and removing the accumulation of sediment. While sediment lacks the power to cause damage to the tank, it definitely reduces its efficiency. Therefore, annual draining is essential for keeping your boiler efficient.
There is a set of instructions for homeowners to follow when flushing their units. Make sure to turn the unit off, attach a hose to the tank to drain the remaining water. Once the tank is emptied, it can be refilled once again and switched back on. Unless the tank is filled, don’t turn it back on to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the unit.
Have it serviced
Having your water heater serviced once a year is considered essential for inspecting its parts. Professional technicians are capable of inspecting all parts, even those whose location isn’t entirely safe to access.
In the course of such inspections, they identify potential signs of damage and suggest homeowners to replace them. By replacing a certain part on time, homeowners avoid replacing the entire unit. See this website for some useful tips on extending the lifespan of your water heater.
Turn the temperature down
Another effective maintenance tip is turning the temperature down. The majority of units are set to a much higher temperature than normal, meaning the water is heated to unsafe temperatures, leading to burns.
In addition, most units are set to a temperature of 140˚F by default. Nevertheless, plumbers advise homeowners to reduce the temperature to 115-120˚F or even lower. This action will help you save both money and energy, especially if you decide to use an insulation blanket.
Install a heat trap
Installing a heat trap is yet another maintenance tip worth practicing. Heat traps are known to allow cold water to go inside the unit but prevent heated water from flowing from the tank. By taking advantage of convection heat, your tank will function more efficiently.
Moreover, such heat traps can be purchased online and installed on your own. If you feel uncomfortable adding such a trap by yourself, you can contact a professional technician to add one for you. They either recommend a custom heat trap or a pre-fabricated trap, referring to a copper line.
Test the temperature-pressure relief valve
Testing the condition of the temperature-pressure relief valve is essential for proper maintenance as long as it’s performed on a regular basis. The function of this valve is to release pressure when it’s build up too much inside the unit.
The procedure for testing this valve is rather straightforward. Homeowners should insert a bucket under the discharge pipe, which is connected to the TPR valve. Once the bucket is placed in the right spot, the next step is lifting the lever.
The valve is considered fully functioning if the water comes out and then stops while lowering the lever. Nevertheless, if the water fails to come out or there is leakage, the TPR valve has to be replaced. This URL, https://www.thespruce.com/tandp-relief-valve-hot-water-heater-1825057, explains the functions of this type of valve.
Replace the anode rod and air intake filter
Another maintenance task that should be performed regularly is replacing the anode rod every five years. The function of the anode rod is to attract all corrosive minerals present in the water instead of letting them corrode the tank. Once the rod is no longer capable of withstanding wear and tear, the inside of the tank becomes seriously damaged by corrosive minerals.
Tankless units rely on air intake filters to keep debris and dirt from penetrating the unit. By keeping the debris away from the tank, the heater will continue to perform its expected function.
To sum up
Only by practicing regular maintenance can homeowners ensure their tank functions properly.
It takes little time to prevent serious breakdowns!