If you are looking for ways to extend the life of the water heater in your home, we’ve put together some tips for you. We’ve also included an outline of the basic water heater components so that you can understand how the equipment works and how to take care of it. Call the Olympia water heater experts at Brooks Plumbing today!
Most homes have a standard tank water heater, and these will need routine maintenance to ensure worry-free and lasting results. Tankless water heaters do not have a storage stank, but they still need basic maintenance. We are focusing on the tank water heater since these are more common and require a little more maintenance.
One of the safety features in a tank water heater is the cold water supply valve, which is a shutoff valve that will need to be turned off before any repairs or maintenance is done on the tank. The sediment in hot water heater tanks needs to be flushed out regularly so that it doesn’t burn inside the water tank from being heated by the burners. The cold water runs through a dip tube.
Because cold water is denser than hot water, the cold water settles at the bottom of the tank and rises as it is heated. Once this happens, it is supplied to the showers, sinks, and other applications through the hot water discharge.
In some models, there’s a metal rod in the tank called a sacrificial anode that attracts corrosion instead of the tank itself getting corroded. Some have alarms that alert you when it is time to replace the anode. If you hear popping noises, there could corrosion or sediment burning inside the tank.
Contact Brooks Plumbing if you have questions or would like to hire a Olympia plumber for routine maintenance.
