How to Take Care of a Water Heater

I do not often take the time to stop and think about what a luxury hot water is.  Just by turning a faucet we can have streaming hot water.  We do not need to take a bucket to the river or the well.  We do not need to heat it up over a fire.  All we have to do is simply turn a faucet to “H.”  Well, that’s not quite true.

Wishing Well

We shouldn’t necessarily take our hot water for granted because the heater could break.  Therefore, it is important to maintain your hot water heater to minimize the chances of that happening.  Here are some things to do in order to keep your hot water heater in the best shape it could be:

  • Just like your furnace and air conditioner, the hot water heater should also be inspected.  Though this doesn’t have to be done on an annual basis it should be done every two years or so.  Having the water inspected allows professionals to check for minor glitches before they become major ones.
  • Sediment can build up at the bottom of the water tank on the burners.  This causes a lot of wasted energy due to the fact that all of the build up makes the water harder to heat since the heat has to go through the sediment before it even reaches the water.  Therefore, drain a gallon of water from the tank every three months or so in order to prevent this from happening.
  • Lastly, replace the anode rod every 5 years or so.  The anode rod is located in your tank and acts as a type of “first defense” or “outer wall” for the water tank.  The anode rod gets “beaten up” by corrosion so that the tank itself does not.  The anode rod itself protects the tank, but having it replaced every so often will further ensure the well being of your hot water heater.

The next time you turn your shower on, take a minute to think about how easy that was.  Then, think about how simple these steps are for taking care of your water heater as opposed to dragging buckets of water up from a well.  If you have any questions-  Contact Flame!


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