Water heaters tend to do their jobs without much fuss, and when they’re tucked away in the basement or garage of your Concord, MA home, you can easily forget about them. That can actually cause big problems, because many of the breakdowns suffered by water heaters could have been prevented with timely servicing and care. We recommend scheduling a maintenance session for your water heater at least once a year. In addition, you can help your own cause out by flushing your water heater every 2-3 months. This prevents sediment from building up on the bottom of the tank: a major cause of stress and trouble if it gets out of hand. Flushing your water heater is very easy and takes just a short amount of time. Simply follow these steps:
- Shut off the power to the system, or the gas if it’s a gas heater.
- Shut off the cold water supply to the heater. There’s usually a valve that lets you do so.
- Connect a hose to the drain valve, which you can find at the bottom of the tank.
- put the other end of the hose in a bucket or a drain line to the sewer: anywhere water can go.
- Open the drain valve, then open the pressure relief valve at the top of the tank.
- Let the water drain out.
- When the tank is empty, turn the cold water back on and let it flush out any remaining sediment in the tank
- Seal the drain valve, then seal the pressure relief valve.
- Let the tank fill up again.
- Restore electrical power or turn the gas back on.
When accompanied by regular maintenance and a few other steps (such as replacing the anode rod every 2-3 years), it will help your water heater last longer and perform more efficiently.
Call Cooling Unlimited for water heater installation, repair and maintenance.
