We can’t deny the fact that hot water heaters are essential in our daily lives. Water heaters have an essential role in personal hygiene, domestic hygiene and cleaning and to help us relax with warm baths, showers and washing. We use hot water on a daily basis throughout the hose and to assist us with our lives.
Now, because of our daily usage of our water heaters, it’s normal to see a significant amount of wear and tear. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to say goodbye to your old heater and buy a new one. In fact, it’s easy to prevent your hot water system from breaking down. To help you, we listed the most important things you can do to upkeep your water heater.
1. Do A Visual Inspection
Doing a visual inspection from time to time will give you a clear idea of what’s going on with your hot water system. What you need to look for is if the unit has visible wear or cracks, a significant amount of rust, or if there’s water leaking from it. It won’t take you long to do this check-up, but I can assure you that doing so could save you from costly major repairs in the future. I suggest doing a visual inspection at least once a month and if you see anything wrong, give your best local plumber a call.
2. Always Keep At Least 2 Feet Clearance Around The Unit
Clutter around your hot water system might affect the efficiency of your water heater. Also, flammable materials near the unit is a major fire hazard that we want to avoid. Always make sure to clean your water heater’s surroundings for its longevity and your safety.
3. Drain Your Water Heater Tank Regularly
With the regular use of our water heaters, we can’t avoid minerals building up in the hot water tanks or pipings. In the long run, this build-up will make our heaters inefficient. Draining your water heater regularly will definitely prolong its life because this allows the system to flush out dirt and minerals and keep its effectiveness of the water heater. For best results, you should drain your water heater at least every few years.
4. When On A Trip, Turn Off Your Heater
If everyone in the household will be away for a while, let’s say at least 4 days, it’s best to turn off your water heater. Why? Well, aside from saving energy and money from the cost of electricity or gas, your hot water system will just continue to heat the water even if no one will be using it. So do the planet a favour and turn it off.
5. Make Sure To Check The Anode Rod
6. Inspect The Relief Valve
The relief valve relieves excess pressure from your water heater so it’s crucial to check it regularly, at least once every 6 months. This will avoid the system from overheating which results in your hot water system breaking, stand back from the outlet and gently lift the lever on the valve until clear water is flowing, then gently let it go back to position.
7. Get Yearly Maintenance Inspection From A Professional
Would you really wait for a problem before calling a professional? You shouldn’t. Sadly, many households think that there’s no need to hire a professional to do a yearly water heater inspection but the truth is, it’s vital.
Experts like the Plumbing and Electrical Doctor can pinpoint the problems right off the bat. In addition, they could tell you not only the existing problems your water heater has but also the things that could possibly be a problem in the future. Now, if ever they would see a problem, they could easily give it a fix.
Professionals will also check everything in your hot water system including the heating elements and the wiring to make sure that everything is in good condition. And since they will see the make and model of your heater, even the previous problems with it, they could tell you what you can do to properly maintain your hot water system.
You might think that maintaining your water heater is a tedious and costly task but in reality, the time and money you’ll spend on maintenance is nothing compared to the amount of money you have saved and the amount of stress you avoided from it being broken.
If you still don’t get how important it is to upkeep your water heater, then think about this. There are only two options in these scenarios. Either take the measure to properly maintain your hot water system and make it last for decades or buy a new one every 5 years. I bet you don’t want the latter, right?
Doing a regular inspection and hiring a professional annually could save you a lot! If you have any more questions regarding water heater maintenance or if you want to ask anything, don’t hesitate to call us at 1300 310 062 or simply visit our website to have a chat with our welcoming representatives.
