How to Care and Maintain for Your Electric Water Heater
It is known to very few people that for your water heater to run efficiently and adequately simple maintenance procedures need to be performed. As the water gets pumped into your water heater tank, sediments, dirt, and various minerals settle on the bottom. If not unchecked, they can make your tank rust and work harder than usual.
You can care and maintain the tank by yourself, or you can get a specialist to do it for you. If it gets complicated, you can get a specialist to handle it for you as they do repairs to the water heater. The following are care and maintenance tips to follow:
Test the TPR Valve
Turn off the power and the cold water supply valve. Place a bucket under the pipe connected to the temperature-pressure release (TPR) valve on the top or side of the tank. It is a valve that opens if the tank pressure gets too high. Gently lift the valve’s tab to let some water out then let go. If water keeps flowing, drain the tank partway, unscrew the old faucet with a pipe wrench and install a new one.
Check the Anode
Place a hose to the tank’s drain cock and let out a few gallons of water. Now fit a two-inch socket onto the rod’s hex head on top of the water heater or under its top plate. Then unscrew the rod. If it is less than half an inch thick or coated with Calcium, buy a new one warp its threads with tape. Then put it back in the tank and tighten securely. Use the segmented rod if the headroom above the container is limited.
Drain the Tank and Wash Out the Sediments
Drain the remaining water into the bucket, stir up the sediments on the tank’s bottom by briefly opening the cold water supply valve. Drain and repeatedly clean until water comes out of the hose. Close the drain cock, refill the tank and then turn its power back on.
Adjust Temperatures
First, find the temperature button on the side of the tank and unscrew its cover. Then adjust the dial to 120 degrees using a flat head screwdriver. For every 10 degrees, you should lower the temperature, and you can expect to save up to 5% in energy costs. If you plan to stay from home for more than three days, turn the water heater off.
