Water Heater Preventative Maintenance

 

The water heater is something that most people don’t give too much thought about. You go to the sink and turn on the hot water and you expect the water to be toasty warm. The real problems come when the water is ice cold. However, there is a way to prevent waking up to a frigid bath, prevention is needed. A water heater can last 10 years or more. Most issues with a tank involve the thermostat, which is an inexpensive fix. However, there comes the time when the tank will have to be replaced. There is a way to keep the tank sparkling clean and possibly extend the life by a few years. It takes just under a half hour to complete and should be done a couple times a year. Water heater maintenance is important to the hot water tank, just like any other mechanical item.

How Do I Clean My Water Tank?

You probably didn’t even know that a hot water tank can be cleaned out, but it can. This is sometimes called a flush and it is typical to what is done to a car radiator. The tank is hooked to a garden hose and all the water is removed. The water and electric or gas must be turned off to the tank. The tank should be drained completely and the water coming out should be observed. If rust and other odd looking particles are coming out of the tank, this shows a problem that the tank may have issues. If the water is nasty coming out, fill the tank again with cold water and repeat the same process. Continue to fill and flush the tank as many times as needed, until the water runs clean from it.

Why Do I Need to Clean my Water Heater?

As a water heater heats the water, sediment forms on the bottom of the tank. Did you know that most tanks that go out completely are due to a sediment build up? As these particles build up inside the tank, they shorten the efficiency and longevity of the tank itself. There is no way to stop this build up and the longer a tank has been sitting there, the more sediment is probably in there. Some tanks will become so heavy with sediment it is hard to remove them once they are done. By simply removing the water and flushing the tank on a regular basis, it will extend the life of the unit.

Serving your Vernon community everyday. Give Water Heater Medic a call at (860) 896-3342 for a guaranteed quality water heater clean-up services!