by the Professional Power Tool Guide
Your water heater is just like everything else in your house. It requires a little bit of care to make sure that it stays in working order. The thought of maintaining a water heater may not have ever crossed your mind, but it’s something that you need to actively think about now that it’s been brought to your attention. Don’t worry - it isn’t hard to take care of. In fact, you may actually be surprised by the simplicity of it all. Here are a few tips that can help your unit stay in good shape.
You want to make sure that your pressure relief valve is working correctly. This opens up whenever there is too much pressure in the tank, so if it isn’t functioning well, you could actually see your unit blow up. Checking the pressure valve is thus a key part of maintaining a water heater, and you need to do it twice a year to be on the safe side. All you have to do to check is turn off your power supply and shut off the heater’s cold water inlet. Then put a bucket under the valve to catch the water that will escape and pull the trip lever located on the valve. If water vapor or air starts coming out, you should be safe from explosion. Replace the valve if it’s not functioning well.
You flush your toilet everyday to get rid of grime, so why not bring that to your heater? Indeed, part of maintaining a water heater involves getting out the sediments that build inside there. You should flush out your tank when you check the pressure relief valve to make things really simple. Again, you need to shut off the power supply and cold water inlet. Then connect a water hose to the drain valve on the tank. Send the other end of the hose somewhere that can handle really hot water. Open the pressure relief and drain valves and let everything drain from the tank completely.
Once you’re done draining, you need to shut off the drain valve and pressure relief valve. Disconnect the hose and open all the hot water spigots in your house. Then turn the cold water inlet on for the tank. You can close the spigots once they have water coming out of them. Then you just have to turn the power supply on and you’re good to go! See, maintaining a water heater isn’t that big of a deal. It may even be fun if you give it a chance.
