How To Make Your Water Heater Last Longer
Water heaters are an essential appliance in a home that’s often ignored till it breaks down. Water heating is one of the main expenses for homeowners in the winters, since it accounts for 12% of the utility bill. If your water heater isn’t working optimally, it’s going to cost a lot more as well.
With the help of a few maintenance tasks, your water heater’s life can be extended significantly while making it more efficient too.
Here are some ways to increase the life of your water heater:
Regular maintenance
To ensure your water heater is working properly, regular maintenance is crucial. Since water heaters work throughout the winter, they’re prone to wear and tear as well as damage. Changes in weather affect our demand for hot water, which makes water heaters work in overdrive.
Regular maintenance will help detect such issues and nip them in the bud. Water heater maintenance includes tending to any leaks, gaps in the joints, as well as cracks in the water body.
Leaks in the water body can cause flooding in the basement, damaging your property and belongings. Make sure you don’t ignore any water heater issue and have it fixed diligently.
Make sure the pressure-relief valve is working
The pressure-relief valve works as a safety measure in a water heater. It releases excess pressure inside the tank to prevent it from exploding and causing major damage. This safety feature in a water heater is vital and needs to be working in perfect order.
To test whether or not the pressure-relief tank is working, lift the lever on the side or top of the water heater. If no water is discharged when you pull the lever, the valve is faulty and needs to be replaced.
Flush the tank
Every year or even every six months, drain your water heater into a bucket. Examine the water that has come out of the water heater; is it clear? Is it rusty? Is there sediment in it?
If the water is dirty and full of debris, your water heater needs to be completely drained out. Call in the professionals to perform a full water heater cleaning.
The older your water heater is, the more you’ll notice a sediment buildup in the water tank. This sediment solidifies and takes up room in your water heater, reducing its capacity. The sediment also reduces the efficiency of the water heater, as more energy is required to heat the water. The solidified pieces of sediment break off, which causes water heaters to become noisy and leave it susceptible to damage like cracks in the tank.
Check and replace the anode rod
The anode rod in a water heater is a major component in a water heater. It’s a metal rod that prevents the water heater tank from rusting. It attracts the corrosion so that it doesn’t affect the steel body of the water heater.
The anode rod needs to be replaced every few years, or the water body of the heater becomes susceptible to corrosion. A corroded water heater body is more likely to experience cracks, which eventually leads to flooding in your home.
Get water heating repair and maintenance done by our technicians at Pro Serve Plumbing. We are a family-owned and operated plumbing service that has been catering to the needs of residents in Fort Worth, TX, for many years now. We also provide other services, such as plumbing leak repairs, water heater installation, slab leak repair, and much more.
For the convenience of our customers, we also provide emergency plumbing services 24/7. Call +1-817-244-0614 for emergency services.
