Your water heater is one of your home appliances that gives you hot water to use for bathing, cooking, washing, and other household purposes. With improved usage of water heaters, maintenance can prevent early collapse and replacement. By keeping your water heater in its optimal state, you can prolong its lifespan, have it function in an effective manner, and make it provide you with hot water at will and on your schedule. And this is what you should do:
1. Drain the Tank Periodically
Mineral and sediment deposits will build up eventually at a water heater’s tank bottom. Most likely to be notoriously effective where hard water is used and where minerals like calcium and magnesium are washed out automatically with a mission of forming a sludge buildup. It will make the buildup inconvenient with water heater use and, worse still, warm up the tank and even destroy appliances.
How to do it:
- Shut off the water heater and let it cool.
- Shut off the cold-water supply and attach a hose to the bottom drain valve.
- Turn open the drain valve counter-clockwise to drain water and draw out the sediment along with it.
- Drain, close the drain valve, remove the hose, and refill the tank with water.
- Draining your water heater every year makes it more efficient and longer-lasting.
2. Lower the Temperature
Your water heater temperature setting is too high and working too hard as it should. It is not even safe, with more risk of scalding. And too low, not sufficiently hot water, so the system must work too hard as it should.
Optimal setting
It is the recommendation of all the expert plumbers that your water heater should be 120°F (49°C). It is hot enough to use and economical.
3. Inspect the Anode Rod
Your water heater’s anode rod is one of its components that is solely responsible for not allowing corrosion to build up within the tank. The rod will attract minerals and other substances in the water to itself, which otherwise would cause the steel tank to rust from the inside out. The anode rod will corrode with time and will have to be replaced to ensure it doesn’t subject the tank to corrosion.
Testing the anode rod:
- Turn off the electricity or gas line and water heater.
- Drain 1 cup of water from the tank.
- Find the anode rod, usually at the top of the tank, and inspect it for wear or rust.
- Replace if the rod is less than 1/2 inch in height or contains a calcium deposit.
- Replace the anode rod every 2–3 years to prolong your water heater’s life and prevent costly breakdowns.
4. Insulate Tank and Pipes
Insulating the tank and the first few feet of pipe attached to it can improve the system efficiency by reducing heat loss. It is especially for poorly insulated older equipment.
How to insulate
Purchase an insulating wrap for your water heater. The wraps are easy to install and will save 45% of the heat loss.
The pipes can be piped with foam pipe insulation, and the heat will be saved to keep the water warm throughout the year.
It is possible to save energy as well as from causing the tank to work unnecessarily by piping the pipes.
5. Check the Pressure Relief Valve
A temperature and pressure relief valve (T&P valve) is a pressure relief valve that safeguards the water heater against over-pressure. The T&P valve will vent off the excess pressure and open when there is pressure or temperature in the tank that reaches a point that is too dangerous, and therefore, the tank will not burst.
How to test the valve:
Pull the handle of the valve upwards in a way such that a thin stream of water will be discharged.
If the water opens by itself and closes when it is opened, then okay.
Replace it if the valve gets clogged or fails to close entirely.
Annual checkup on the T&P valve will keep it functioning properly at a time of need without bringing about any destruction to any tank down the road.
6. Avoid Overloading the Water Heater
An over-loaded water heater loses its value rapidly as well. Don’t overload the system by requesting a lot of hot water at some point so that the water heater will have to do extra work and consume more energy.
Prevention is the best medicine for avoiding overload.
Be aware of your hot water usage, particularly on busy days, and attempt to divide your hot water order into halves during the day.
Replace old showerheads and faucets with low-flow versions that don’t compromise performance.
Conserving hot water enables you to reduce water heater pressure and prolong its lifespan.
7. Professional Annual Inspection
Though part of the maintenance would be carried out by you, a yearly professional check-up of your water heater is also a necessity. Your system will get a visual check-up from a professional plumber, establish the likely issues, and recommend repair or replacement once the time arrives.
Through regular inspection, the plumber would be able to guarantee:
- Leaks are identified
- Corrosion indicators
- Uniform water temperature
- Everything functions marvelously
- Early-detected issues, even though still minor issues and never super-sized issues, will cost less to repair and will provide you with more overall life on your water heater.
Conclusion
You also have to maintain it properly so that you can derive the best from the life of your water heater. By doing all these regular maintenance procedures, including draining the tank, inspecting the temperature, examining the anode rod, and replacing it every year, you can keep your water heater in its best possible state and extend its life by a couple of years. Not only will you be saving yourself the money you won’t be paying for a probable fix, but it’ll also save you tons of money in expensive replacement and provide you with tons of hot water every time, as well.
Look after your water heater with a little yearly care, and it will reward you with gigantic returns in operation and existence.