It’s hard to imagine what life was like before the advent of water heaters. For most households, water had to be heated all day long in a reservoir on the stove or simply heated up in a pot or a cauldron over a wood fire. Many people did without hot water altogether most of the time. Now, a good hot water heater can last as long as 15 years, but to get it to live that long requires maintenance. Here are four tips to make sure your hot water heater has a long life.
Install a Water Softener
One of the things that shortens a water heater’s life is hard water. This is simply water with a lot of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. It’s destructive because the minerals leach out of the water and form a crust called limescale on components in the water heater such as the heating element. Bits of limescale can actually break off and bang around the tank, which can cause further damage. A water softener removes calcium and magnesium from hard water and replaces it with sodium ions which don’t form limescale.
Flush the Heater Now and Then
Turning off the power and flushing the water heater every six to 12 months goes a long way in removing dangerous sediment from the tank. If your water is especially hard, you may want to supplement flushing with vinegar. After the first time you drain your water heater, add vinegar and let it sit for a few hours. Then flush the vinegar, flush with water one more time, then turn on the power and use the tank as you normally would.
Water Heater Repair
It is important that if you notice signs of trouble, you get water heater repair from a professional as soon as it is practical. Certain companies, like ABC Drain & Plumbing, know that some signs of trouble include no hot water or water that’s too hot, banging or other weird sounds, and bad-smelling or discolored water. A water heater that goes without repair for a long time will simply die or worse will rupture and release gallons of water.
Have Your Water Heater Inspected
Along with flushing it, you should have your water heater inspected by a professional plumber at least once a year to make sure that all is in working order. A professional can detect signs of trouble that are too small or too subtle for a lay person and perform some troubleshooting before problems grow.
Your water heater makes it possible for you to wash clothes, bathe, and do other needful things in comfort. It deserves maintenance, and its maintenance is often simple to do. Don’t let it get to the point where a catastrophe is within the realm of possibilities.
