The water heater fills an important role in your home, providing all the hot water needed for cooking, bathing, and washing dishes and clothes. With such high demand, issues arise that impair the water heater’s ability to provide efficient and consistent hot water. Learn how to care for your water-heating system so you may extend the life of the system and components and keep energy bills down.
Water heater basics
When hot water is called for at a tap or appliance, it flows through the outlet pipe at the top of the tank. Cold water replenishes the used water through the inlet pipe next to the outlet pipe. Cold water flows to the bottom of the tank through the dip tube, which keeps the cold water separated from the water near the top of the tank that is already hot. The cold water is heated at the bottom by an electric element or fuel-combustion chamber. As water is heated, it rises up, which makes room for more cold water to be heated until the thermostat temperature setting is reached.
Controlling mineral buildup
Minerals are separated from the cold water as the water is heated. Many of the minerals are attracted to the anode rod, which helps prevent rust and corrosion to the water heater’s lining. However, many minerals settle at the bottom of the tank. Without regular water heater maintenance, the mineral buildup damages the lining of the tank and prevents energy-efficient and consistent heating.
Flush the water heater on a regular schedule to prevent mineral buildup and subsequent damage and inefficiency. A drain bib is located at the bottom of the tank. (Make certain you do not use the pressure-relief valve that’s located near the top of the tank.) Hold or place a bucket beneath the drain bib and flush one gallon of water from the tank. Flush the tank every two months. For best water heater performance, call your HVAC professional and schedule a service call.
Please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. for more tips about water heating, air conditioning, heating and more. We’ve proudly served homeowners in the Dayton area since 1978.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
