Maintaining your water heater is the best way to keep it in good working order as long as you want. So, here are some tips and essential steps to follow in this regard:
Why Regularly Maintain Your Water Heater
Regular maintenance of your water heater allows you to avoid overheating and excessive consumption of electricity. So follows:
- Save money and energy.
- Preserved facilities, some of which can operate for many years.
- Continuous hot water without suffering the inconvenience of intervention and repair times.
- No need for hot water system replacement for a decade or so.
Necessary Maintenance Actions For A Water Heater
If some actions require technical knowledge, others, much simpler will have a beneficial impact on the life of your water heater. The latter category includes:
- Checking the operation of the safety group once a month by lightly shaking the drain lever.
- If you are going to be away for a long time, remember to cut the power supply and drain your water heater.
- Depending on the type of water heater you have, take advantage of a maintenance contract which allows you to benefit from the expertise of a professional hot water plumber for maintenance of your heater.
- For, electric water heater, pay special attention to thermo-immersion resistance. Empty the tank before cleaning the element which tends to scale due to prolonged contact with water.
- If you have a gas water heater, examine pilot injector, pilot light, and heater, burner. Dismantle the parts concerned, then according to their properties: dust, clean, or descale.
- In a thermodynamic water heater, look for evaporator, grids, fan, and probes. Clean, or have the defective part replaced.
Tips For Leaking Water Heater
Before considering your hot water system replacement, investigate the causes of the problem to try to remedy it. Give below are the main reasons why a water heater starts to leak, as well as their available solutions.
Leak From The Water Heater Safety Group
Most of the leaks found on the water heaters come from their safety group. The safety group flows drop by drop while the appliance heats up. This leak is normal and means that the water heater is working properly. Indeed, the pressure and the volume of water increase at the same time as its temperature. The safety group ensures that this pressure is kept on a safe level.
If the security group leaks intermittently at all times, it means that the cold water pressure is probably too strong. To solve this, you must install a pressure reducer immediately after your water meter.
In case, the security group is constantly leaking – clogging of the safety group seals can be the source of the leak. Thoroughly cleaning the seals will resolve the issue. Also, the group may simply be defective and must be replaced.
Flowing Water Heaters: Other Causes Of Leaks
If the leak comes from the hydraulic connections of the water heater – the worn seals are the cause. They must then be examined and replaced by a plumber expert in hot water system repair.
Moreover, if the leak comes from the tank of the appliance, the only solution available to you is a hot water system replacement.
And if the leak comes from the electrical cover of the water heater, the flange gasket may be defective. You can then try to tighten the nuts holding the flange. But if that is not enough, the flange seal may need to be replaced by a plumber.
Note: The life of a water heater varies depending on its location, use, and the quality of the water it contains. A water heater must be replaced on average every ten years.
Final Words
The maintenance of your water heater sometimes only requires simple checks which can take place once every year or two. In all cases, we advise you to use the services of qualified and certified professionals. Indeed, certain hot water system repairs require specific tools and knowledge as well as precise safety rules which are essential to respect.