Water Heater Maintenance Tips Water Heaters There are many things that you can do to make sure that your water heater works as it should during its lifetime. There are steps that you can take to make sure that it is also safe and doesn’t cause fire hazards. You need to ensure that you follow these steps to see that things are safe and in running order.
You can call out a professional to do the maintenance for you to make sure that it is done right. You could call Bosque heating, cooling, and plumbing and they can help you to provide the proper maintenance for you. They will ensure that the job is done the right way.
This article will give you some maintenance tips for your water heater. It will help you if you choose to do the work on your own. You can also do more research to get even more tips.
Water Heater Maintenance Tips
1. Clear Flammable Materials
You want to make sure that you don’t have any flammable materials around your water heater. You don’t want any chemicals, paint, gas, or other things that are combustible around your heater. These things could cause fires or even explosions.
2. Do You Have Leaks?
Check your water heater to ensure that there are no leaks. You should do this at least once a month. If you find a leak, you want to ensure that it gets fixed as soon as possible.
3. Fix the Conditions
The temperature on this should be set at about 115 degrees to make sure that you won’t be scalded. You can also save energy by setting the temperature lower: https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-utilities/set-your-water-heater-to-this-exact- temperature-to-save-money-this-winter/. You can save about 5% in energy costs for every 9 degrees that the temperature is lowered.
4. Flush and Drain
You need to ensure that sediment doesn’t build up over time, so you need to drain and flush the heater every year. If you have hard water, you will want to do this even more often. You want to hook up a hose to the valve that drains it and run the water until it is clear again.
5. Inspect Temperature and Pressure Valve
Your T&P release valve needs to be inspected at least annually. Your water heater should have information on it to help you do this correctly. You could get a buildup of minerals and rust that will make the valve work improperly.
6. Check the Anode Rode
This rod is on the inside of the water tank and helps to protect the inside of the heater from any leaks. It needs to be checked every once in a while, to ensure that it is still in working condition. It only should be replaced if there is just a bare wire showing.
7. Check the Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant System
If your water heater has been made after the year 2003, it has a FVIR system. There are combustion chambers that are sealed and that have an item that is called a flame arrestor plate that is specially designed to keep it from flaming. It is on the underside of the tank and will only need cleaning if dust and debris build up around it.
8. Clean the Blocked Arrestor Plate
You need to use a soft bristle brush to clean the arrestor plate. You will want to swipe it with the brush until it is full and then use a vacuum cleaner to clean the brush and do it again. When the brush comes out clean, you know that your plate is clean.
Conclusion
You want to ensure that your hot water heater is always kept safe. You need to make sure that you do regular maintenance on it to make sure that it doesn’t start any fires. You can do this maintenance on your own, or you could hire a professional to do it for you.
There are parts of the tank that you need to clean and others that you need to check on at least once a year. You can also drain and flush your tank about once a year to make sure that sediment doesn’t build up in the tank. You want to make sure that your water heater is safe for you and your family.
