Your water heater can last for years – or even decades – if you treat it right. The key, though, is to perform frequent hot water heaters maintenance on it.
That way, you can prevent minor issues from turning into major, expensive problems –or even prevent problems from forming at all!
Luckily, there is a variety of hot water heaters maintenance work that you can do yourself, even if you’re not a professional plumber. If you have a basic understanding of how your water heater works and some basic tools, you can take on these 4 tasks:
1. Retrofitting
It may sound technical, but it’s actually one of the easiest hot water heaters maintenance techniques you can perform. When you retrofit your water heater, you simply replace the anode – or, a rod that’s made out of either aluminum or magnesium. Those metals are used so that rust cannot form and corrode the inside of your tank. After all, if your tank starts to corrode, it can lead to leaks and even rust-colored water. But, over time, the magnesium or aluminum starts to wash away – leaving the inside of your tank at risk.
An anode screws right into the top of your water heater’s tank, so it is relatively easy to get to, remove, and replace. And, you can find them at most home improvement stores.
Anodes are designed to last for 6 years. However, you will need to check on yours sooner than that. And, if you salt your water, you’re the life of your anode will be much shorter.
2. Clean your temperature/pressure relief valve
These valves are extremely important, since they are responsible for regulating both the temperature and the pressure inside your water heater. If either gets out of whack, it can lead to serious problems – like scalding water, no hot water at all, or, in rare cases, explosions.
Over time, impurities will start to build up in your temperature/pressure relief valve. The more “gunk” there is on your valve, the less effectively it will work.
You should be able to remove your temperature/pressure relief valve with a pipe wrench and clean it out yourself. That way, you can either clean it out – or, if it’s really a mess – replace it. These valves are available at most hardware and home improvement stores.
If it won’t budge, you’ll have to call a pro.
3. Do a mini-flush
During a flush, you rinse water out of the bottom of your tank, rinsing out impurities and sediment in the process. Mini-flushes are easier hot water heaters maintenance because they don’t require you to shut off your unit like full flushes do.
To do a mini-flush, simply put a bucket under your drain valve (which you can find at the bottom of your tank). If your drain valve has a handle, turn it and release a couple of gallons of water. If you don’t have a handle, you will need a flat-head screwdriver to pry it loose.
Once you’re done, return the drain valve back to its original position, and you’re done!
4. Keep an eye and an ear open
This is the type of hot water heaters maintenance that can be done on a weekly or daily basis. If something doesn’t look or sound right, it probably isn’t. Things like rumbling noises and leaks can quickly turn into major issues if they’re not taken care of properly.