The water heater is one of those plumbing appliances we now have in our home till there’s a problem, that we never think of.  Provided that it keeps doing its own job, giving us lots of warm water for showers, laundry, and the dishes, we guess everything is going fine.  If our energy bills go up, we guess it’s the gas or electric companies not our water heater with an increasing amount of energy to heat our water.

In reality, your home’s water heater endures more wear and tear than almost any other plumbing appliance in your home.  “What is that?”  you ask.  It is because it is running all the time.  Day and night the alloy within the tank of your water heater soaks which, unless your home’s water, then comes packed which accelerate rust.  Chemicals that settle at a coating of slimy dirt and rust which reduces your heater’s efficiency and eats away the metal catastrophically fails all on carpeting and your hardwood flooring.

Compared to many other family chores, water heater maintenance is really fairly simple, and yet a surprising number of individuals don’t understand how to do it.  A homeowner can add years of life, by simply flushing the tank of sediment every 6 months.

To flush your heater’s hot water tank, then you will need:

Eye protection (warm water or sand in your eyes is no pleasure, believe me.)

A set of pliers

Perhaps a screwdriver

A hose

You can use a normal garden hose.  You might wish to consider purchasing a dedicated hose that you can leave attached to the water heater and simply unroll each time you drain it.  Besides saving you the trouble of lugging a hose into your house this may reduce the wear.  Most modern heaters have nylon (plastic) spigots for their own drain.  If your hose has metal threads taking it off and on will eventually strip off the threads and you are going to be calling a plumber to come before you want to replace the unit to replace them.

Step 1 – Cut the power for your own water heater

Go to your electrical service panel.  Find and turn off the breaker to your hot water heater.  If you do not, your heater will keep running, trying as you flush it down the drain, to warm water.  Don’t forget to turn it back when you are done. Step 2 – Locate the water heater drain

The drain to your water heater will probably be close to the bottom of the tank and should look like a garden hose spigot. Step 3 – Attach the nozzle to the water heater

Make certain to twist the hose all the way onto the drain.  The water coming out will probably be full of rust and sand and it will be under stress.  You’ll have one big mess to clean up if needed, use pliers to tighten it all the way on the bib if the hose comes loose.  Don’t overtighten or you’ll be phoning your plumber to replace the drain spigot long until you’ll need a heater. Measure 4 – Stick the hose out the window

. . .or out the door or in a slop sink.  Make sure that doesn’t end up creating a wreck.  Remember, you’re currently removing months or even years of sediment and minerals.  This is not.  It is going to come under pressure that is full, so make sure you anchor it down and take action to prevent splashing.

Step 5 – Open the drain

To open the drain valve on Whirlpool water heaters, such as this one, you’ll need a screwdriver.  Other brands demand a different tool or may have handled in their valves.  Open the drain valve until you have got a full flow.

Step 6 – Let it drain

Based on how long you have waited to flush the system, you may need to let your water heater empty to get anywhere from five to twenty-five minutes.  The water may be brown and you’ll notice flakes of sand, scale and small stones composed of mineral deposits.  You will know you are done when the water runs clear.  Don’t worry, Should you run out of time before the water is 100% clear.  The sediment will resettle at the base of the tank along with your hot water will be clean as it had been, just return in a month or two and drain the water heater.

Step 7 – Close the valve and put away your hose

This measure doesn’t need a lot of clarification.

Step 8 – Turn your water heater back on

Don’t forget this step or your own shower in the morning will be a good deal colder than you would prefer.  Even though most of the water that you emptied from the tank of the heater came straight from the supply line a fantastic portion of the water that was in the cap of the tank got flushed out.  Depending upon the size and type of heater you have, it will likely require an hour or two to the water to go back to normal temperature.

Regularly Flushing Your Water Heater Could Save You Thousands

Ask ten technicians just how long the average water heater will survive and you will get ten different answers.  Part of the reason for that is content and water mineral is entirely dependent on you receive your own water and where you live.  (The EPA requires municipalities to present annual reports.  Click here to find the report on your region.)  The answers will fall within a range.  At a home without water filtration or softening, and with no flushing of sediment, a water heater would be expected by most pipes to last between five to seven decades.

With regular flushing, most plumbers would agree, you can easily extend the life of a water heater around eight to twelve decades.  Add entire house water filtration to the equation, and your water heater could endure up to 15 decades.

For questions on flushing your water heater, then contact Enersure.

Prevent Damage to Your Water Heater

I like to begin with, what exactly does home repair prevention really imply.  It is having the ability to comprehend home building principles and knowing when there could be an issue.  A number of these home problems water damage issues can result in costly repair bills later on.

A little while ago, I went to repair a rental home where the water heater was leaking for quite some time and had ruined the stage that it sat and the wall which it was leaning against.  One of the garage walls was helping to support this water heater that was damaged.

Your water heater, like Enersure furnaces, is something that needs to be visually inspected on a regular basis.  This is something which you’ll surely be considering Should you have the home.  You will look at your water heater on a regular basis, particularly if you’ve had to replace one.

Now, this is logical, to a homeowner.  But if you’re renting your home, this might be a totally different mindset for your renters, who don’t care much about the house that they are currently paying an excessive amount of money to dwell in.

I have found that most tenants rarely look after the property since they view your home like that, it is not theirs and they’re already paying an excessive amount of cash to live there.  No matter how much money you are charging your tenants, it will be too much and with that said, they have no interest in keeping your property.

In case you don’t want to cover ridiculous home repair costs, you are going to need to inspect your premises on a regular basis.  You’re the only one that’s considering saving you cash.  I would recommend that you inspect your houses every other month at a minimum.

The water heater and water damage which I replaced cost the homeowner about $1500 and it might have been prevented, if the leak would have been fixed for under $100 and if you did it for under $20.