Easy Maintenance Steps for Your Water Heater

Minnesota winters can be quite unforgiving. Can you imagine taking a warm shower in a cold winter day, but instead of warm water, what comes out is freezing cold aqua. Thankfully, you have a water heater that helps you have heated water whenever you need it. To ensure it works as expected, you might want to consider a few maintenance steps.

Four Seasons Air Specialists is your reliable heating company in Woodbury MN. We offer a comprehensive process of maintaining water heaters.

Overview

A water heater is a simple home appliance — it’s basically a drum filled with water that has a heating mechanism on the bottom or inside. But its simple design does not mean it is without complexities. It involves several important parts such as the tank, which contains a water protective liner that holds 40 to 60 gallons of hot water around 50 to 100 pounds per square inch and adjusts it to the pressure range of a typical residential water system.

Most water heaters are located in the basement or garage, a part of the house that isn’t always kept heated. The cold air around the tank of the water allows the heat inside the tank to escape at a faster rate. This causes the water heater to run longer to replace the lost heat. Another reason why your water heater works harder during this time of year is that the water that enters the tank is much colder, which requires more energy to warm it up as it enters the tank. Also, this is when homes experience an increase in hot water use. Because of the cold weather, we tend to use hot water for balmy showers, and warm water for laundry. Therefore, it’s best to show your water heater some tender loving care by following these simple routine maintenance steps, which will keep it running for at least fifteen years or more.

How’s the Water Level?

It is essential to regularly inspect the heater’s water level for a couple of reasons. First, running the water heater without water can cause serious damage to the system. Second, it can compromise your safety and cause accidents.

Some water heaters have a safety feature that monitors the water level and automatically adds more water when the level gets low. This allows the unit to automatically fill the water heater with the right amount of water and will instantly turn the system off when the right water level is reached.

What’s Your Thermostat Setting?

You can save as much as 5 percent in your monthly energy costs for every 10 degrees you lower the temperature. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends 120 degrees because it’s hot enough to avoid diseases and not hot enough to cause scalding. This temperature will supply enough hot water without consuming too much energy.

If you are living with children or the elderly, you may want to keep the temperature at 120 degrees. Experts state that it only takes two seconds for a child to receive a third-degree burn from water that is 150 degrees and five seconds if it is 140 degrees.

Do You Drain the Tank Every Now and Then?

Your water heater needs to be drained regularly to eliminate sediment build up in the bottom of the tank. When neglected, these sediments can cause the system to not work efficiently or to an extent, it could stop working altogether.

Draining the tank differs according to model, so it’s best to read the owner’s manual. But the basic steps are as simple as shutting off the water supply to the heater, then turning off the power, then cooling it off. You may also need to attach a hose to the drain valve before opening the drain valve and releasing water and flushing it with fresh, clean water. Finally, refill the tank.

For Best Results, Call Four Seasons Air Specialists

Some maintenance steps require professional skills such as lubrication, radiator and electrical inspections, among others. Our HVAC professionals can help you not only keep your water heater in great shape but also to ensure it operates safely and efficiently. We are your trusted Vadnais Heights heating and air conditioning company.