After years of saving and waiting, you found and bought your dream home! Now, you’re one of the almost 65% of Americans who own their home.
You want to keep your home in top shape for as long as possible. To that end, you intend on doing all the home maintenance yourself. But, how do you do water heater maintenance?
We put together this ultimate guide for maintaining your water heater without hiring a professional. Keep reading to find out how to get the most life out of your water heater.
Water Heater Maintenance Tasks
To make sure everything in your water heating system stays in good condition, you should do all these tasks. Don’t wait until you have water heater problems before you start taking care of it.
Insulation
Most modern water heaters have internal insulation for optimal water heater safety. But, you should also add an insulation blanket on the outside. This helps the energy efficiency of the heater and saves you money on your bills!
Inspections
About once a month, inspect the heater from bottom to top looking for leaks or corrosion. If you see any, take care of the problem ASAP!
Annual Flush
Over time, corrosive minerals in your water accumulate on the bottom into a gross sludge that can eat right through the bottom of the tank! That’s why it’s important to flush your tank once a year and get that gunk out.
Anode Replacement
The anodes of your heater attract corrosive chemicals so your tank doesn’t degrade. But those rods will erode over time. You’ll need to replace them every 4 years.
Tips for Maintaining a Water Heater
Many new homeowners like to take tips from the pros so they don’t make rookie mistakes. These are our favorite heater maintenance tips to get you started.
If you see signs of a failing water heater, shut off the water and power/gas going to the heater. Check the manual if you don’t see the shut-off valves.
Call in the professionals for complicated and/or dangerous repairs. You could end up with serious injury or death if you get in over your head.
Install flood sensors near the heater in case it starts to leak. That way, you know if the unit leaks before it becomes a huge flooding issue.
Don’t Let a Defective Heater Get You into Hot Water
If you ignore warning signs that your heater is malfunctioning, you could end up with flood damage or worse. Sometimes a faulty heater can explode like a bomb!
Make sure to keep this article handy so you can remember what maintenance tasks to do and when. That way, your heater will keep your water hot for as long as possible.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article and that you learned all about water heater maintenance. If you’re looking for more helpful articles about homes, gardens, technology, and more, check out the rest of our blog today!
