Extend the life of your water heater by performing regular water heater maintenance. This is important since water heaters nowadays don't come cheap. It's normal to feel irritated once the unit stops generating hot water, especially since it's bringing too much of an inconvenience in your household. Keep your unit in its tip-top condition through regular water heater maintenance. Ask help from a specialist if you're not comfortable in working with your heater on your own.
Do not forget to turn off the circuit breaker or the gas supply valve before inspecting your heater. Doing this prevents accidents from happening while you work on your unit. You can put your life at risk if the unit is switched while maintenance is ongoing. Make sure the water supply is turned off to stop water from entering the account. Always take safety into account by following these safety precautions.
Today, we are going to talk about a specific issue that can cause a water heater to operate inefficiently. Oftentimes, these hard water minerals can be found in a honeycomb fashion right at the bottom of the water heater. Expect your unit to limit the volume of water that can be stored once sediment builds up inside the tank. You may have to replace the unit sooner than expected if the sediments are not flushed out on time.
Fortunately, sediments can be under control if you use softened water. This may reduce the hard water minerals accumulating at the bottom of your tank, but the anode rod's life expectancy will be reduced 50% to 60%. You have to consider this fact since an anode rod attracts all charged water molecules inside the tank, protecting your tank from completely rusting.
It helps adjusting the temperature to minimize the hard water minerals from accumulating. A temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit can cause the sediments to grow rapidly while a lower temperature of 115 degrees or less can result to Legionnaire's disease, in which a person can acquire through frequent inhaling of germ-filled water. Hospitals set their water temperature at about 170 degrees Fahrenheit to kill bacteria inside.
You can adjust the thermostat settings if you think the temperature is too high. After adjusting, wait for an hour before testing the water. Use a meat thermometer and fill a cup with water to check if the water is hot enough. You can turn the dial to adjust the thermostat setting if you have a gas water heater. Change the flame size by turning the center of the control knob that looks like a screw.
If you are using an electric-powered unit, install a low-watt density element that has a double surface area. This kind of element can heat water like a high-watt density element. Watch out if your water pressure exceeds over 50 psi. Lower down the temperature to prevent the unit from overheating and exploding.
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