Top Tips to Keep Your Water Heater Working

Maintain your Boca Water Heater

If you’ve just moved into a new house in Boca, or installed a new water heater, you may be wondering how to get the most out of this essential household equipment. Even if you’re living in an older home and don’t have the budget to replace your water heater, knowing how to care for it will greatly increase the heater’s lifespan, and reduce the number of repairs it will need.

We’ve put together a comprehensive list of tips and tricks that will help you, as a homeowner, keep your water heater working at its best.

☑Be Prepared: Location and Access
You should know exactly where your water heater is, and have a clear path of access to it. This is especially important when something does go wrong and you need to have repairs done.

Another pro tip for being prepared is to know what kind of water heater you have. Write down the model number and serial number, and store them somewhere safe. If you do need to call a plumber to have repairs done, you’ll have this information on hand.

☑Know Your Shut-Off Valves
It’s vital to know where the shut-off valves are in your home. If your water heater is leaking, for example, you can quickly stop the water supply to that particular area – saving you from more potential damage and danger.

If your heater runs on gas, know where the gas shut-off is. Similarly, if it’s an electric heater, know which circuit to switch off in the event of a problem.

☑Clear and Safe Area
Water heaters need clear space around them to operate, and as a safety precaution. Gas heaters, for example, need oxygen to burn the gas. If there’s too much stuff around your heater, it could be running at a lower capacity, and it could also be a fire hazard.

Having a clear space around it will make easier to see immediately if your water heater is leaking, rusting, or not operating properly.

☑Insulation
An easy trick to maintain your water heater, and save electricity and money in the process, is to have it properly insulated. This is usually a once-off investment which is well worth it. In fact, the US Department of Energy estimates that insulating your water tank can reduce heat loss by 25 – 45 percent, and can save you up to 9 percent in water heating costs.

☑Temperature Settings
Another smart way to save energy and money is to manually adjust your temperature settings. Often, the manufacturer sets the water heater to 140°F, but most homes can function comfortably with water at a maximum of 120°F.

Not only will this save you money, but it actually maintains the heater by slowing mineral build-up and corrosion.

☑Check the Anode Rod
Water heaters come with an anode rod; its purpose is to prevent the tank from rusting by ‘sacrificing’ itself to rust and corrosion instead.

You should check the anode rod at least once a year to make sure that it’s still intact. Remove it by unscrewing it from the top of the tank. If it’s caked in calcium deposits, has corroded to where it’s less than half an inch thick (or the core wire is exposed), it probably needs to be replaced.

For more information on how to maintain your water heater, contact Art Plumbing, AC and Electric today.