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Do you know that your water heater can last for more than a decade? An electric water heater can last even longer if you do its maintenance periodically. Those who don't maintain their water heater can be prone to early breakdowns and failure. Hence, knowing how to clean the water heater can help you extend its lifespan. Moreover, you can lessen your water heating bills. Also, if you don't want to do it yourself and need professional assistance, you can hire a plumbing repair contractor Reno NV, to do the job. In this blog post, we'll give you detailed information on the process of cleaning your water heater, irrespective of its type.
How To Clean Your Water Heater
Why Do You Need To Do It?
You might not know that the water contains sediments, minerals, and some chemicals, and over time, these contaminants develop in the water heater, making it inefficient. Consequently, such inefficiencies may lead to uneven heating, disables its element to remain lit, clogs the drain valve, and high electricity bills. Furthermore, sometimes the sediments, if build-up badly, may cause the water heater to leak consistently. But you can avoid all these predicaments by regularly flushing the water heater. You can also seek assistance from the plumbers in Reno to flush your water heater, as they have the right tools and equipment to reduce sediment build-up.
The Signs That Indicate It's Time To Flush The Water Heater:
Taking precautions before the situation gets worse is a beneficial and effective way through which you can avoid more problems. Knowing the warning signs that indicate you might need to flush your water heater could extend your water heater's life and save you from spending hefty amounts.
Here's A Quick Turnaround On The Signs:
Heating Problems: If your water heater does not give hot water, it is a significant sign indicating that sediment might build extensively, preventing it from heating up.
Strange sounds coming from Water Heater: In regions where the water contains large sediments may combine and become calcified stones that bump against the sides of your water heater. If you experience a similar situation, you might need to flush your water heater as quickly as possible before these stones get large and clog the drain pipe.
Smelly Water: Bacteria also grow in the water tank if your water heater hasn't been flushed for so long, making your water smell bad. For that, you need to sanitize your water heater while washing it.
The Process To Clean The Water Heater:
While cleaning the water heater, you need to take out several faucets at your home, which enable water to drain completely out of the tank. Cleaning the water heater gets easy if you follow the proper steps. After reading the blog, if you still think you can't do it, call the professionals of septic pumping in sparks. They are also proficient at carrying out flushing and drain cleaning works feasibly. Now, let's get acquainted with those steps.
> Prepare the heater for flushing
The first step you have to commence is switching off your water heater's thermostat. If you have an electric water heater, you need to cut the electric supply by switching off the appropriate source.
> Open Hot water faucets
By opening the faucets, you will be able to drain the water from the tank. Somehow, if you miss this step, a vacuum form will keep the moisture trapped inside the tank.
> Connecting hose to the tank's drain valves
The drain valve needs to be located at the button of the tank. After that, connect the hose to a large container or outside and away from your home's foundation. If the container or bucket is not large, it may lead to the risk of flooding your basement or the room where the tank is in.
> Empty the tank by opening the drain valve
After connecting the hose, empty the tank by opening the drain valve. While doing so, you will notice the amount of sediment that comes out of it. But, if you open the drain valve and water doesn't flow, it's a sign that the deposit has clogged the drain valve. Before moving on to the next step, you need to clean the drain valve by clearing the clog.
> Activate the cold water
The activation of cold water will help clean any additional sediment that may have been left inside the tank.
> Shut the drain valve off and close the faucets
Once you have cleaned the water tank with cold water, you need to remove the hose from the drain valve and shut the valve off before switching on the cold water supply.
> Fix your water heater to its place
At this stage, you have to fix your water heater to its place by setting up back all the things you have done in the first step.