Water Heater Maintenance - What To Do

By Brian Winters


You might not notice your water heater until it breaks down. If you are currently short of funds for a replacement water heater, taking cold showers might be your last option. Having no hot-water is totally unacceptable as it causes great inconvenience in your household.

You may not realize it, but your water heater cannot last forever. All you can do is prolong its lifespan by maintaining it regularly. Water heater maintenance can be inexpensive than replacing your entire unit. It is best to check your unit in a semi-annual basis to prevent further damage.

Do not forget to turn off your heating source before proceeding with the maintenance. Doing this helps protect you from electric shocks and keep you from harm. You can inform everyone in your household not to turn the circuit breaker or gas valve during the process of maintaining your unit.

Turn off your water supply to prevent water from entering your unit while maintaining it. To catch the remaining sediments inside your tank, prepare a small bucket and place it under the valve after draining.

You may not notice it, but your T&P valve is responsible for releasing excessive pressure inside your tank. This safety feature keeps your unit from overheating or worse, blowing up. If you think your valve is badly damaged, replace it as soon as possible. Test it by lifting its lever to allow water to exit from the tank. Allow it to snap back by releasing the valve to stop water from flowing.

One important step in maintaining your water heater is to drain and flush it regularly. Doing this sustains the efficiency of your heater, improves water quality and keeps your tank from completely rusting. Start by connecting a hose to the drain valve and opening it to release water from your tank. You may notice sediments sitting at the bottom of your tank. Remove the filth by flushing them out with a bucket placed under the drain valve. It may take several minutes before the water runs clear. Avoid scalding yourself by turning off your unit hours before you drain it. You can now start refilling the tank by opening your cold-water supply valve.

You can improve the quality of your water heater by checking the status of your anode rod regularly. If you notice it less than 3/4 of an inch, replace it as soon as possible. Remember that this sacrificial rod is responsible for absorbing hard water mineral deposits to protect your tank from rusting completely.

Maintaining your water heater should be easy, now that you have an idea how to maintain it properly. You can always ask help from a specialist if you think you cannot handle your unit on your own. Investing a small amount of money on maintenance is better than having to replace the entire unit unexpectedly.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment

 

Holidays Copyright © 2011-2012 | Powered by Blogger