How to Maintain Your Water Heater for Optimal Performance

Water geysers are common home appliances used regularly in most households. Water heaters or geysers are available in different types such as storage water heaters, electric geysers or water heaters, gas water heaters, and instant water heaters. They are available in different sizes and shapes to fit in your kitchen, bathroom, and washing area of your home. You can buy geysers online as well as offline according to your convenience. 

For the smooth running of your geysers and to make them function properly and efficiently, you need to maintain them. With proper maintenance, you can ensure the optimal performance of your water heater. In this post, let us understand the need to maintain your water heater and how optimally you can maintain it for enhanced performance.  

How to Know if Your Water Heater Needs Maintenance?

You will know that your water heater needs repair when you see some common signs as mentioned below. 

1. Foul smell from your hot water – If the hot water from the water heater smells foul, it is good to check your water heater to be safe. Foul-smelling water may indicate bacterial presence in your water heater and you may be required to change the anode rod. 
2. Strange sounds – Strange banging and hissing sounds coming out of your water heater might indicate some issues like sediment build-up. Hence, it is important to check such sounds.   
3. Too hot tank – In general, water heaters are safe to touch as they are insulated. However, if you can’t touch your water heater as it is too hot to touch and overheated, it might indicate that the insulation has a problem that needs to be checked.
4. Leaks – If your water heater shows leakage, it may indicate an aging machine, sediment build-up, lack of proper maintenance, etc. If any such problem can be seen, you may immediately inspect and resolve the issue.   
5. Discolored and inconsistent hot water - Discolored and inconsistent supply of hot water is also an indication that something is wrong with the water heater and needs to be examined.  

Why is it Important to Maintain Water Heaters?

Maintenance of a geyser or water heater is important to ensure its longevity and performance. With regular maintenance, the life of your water heater can be improved. This helps avoid early repair costs and enhances the efficiency of the water heater to provide a continuous supply of hot water. Regular maintenance of the water heater also helps prevent issues like corrosion, leaks, and accumulation of sediments. All these save you money on repairs. 

Several simple and cost-effective ways are there to increase the efficiency and longevity of water heaters. For instance, you may flush the tank and check the anode rod annually to get a clear and continuous flow of hot water. We have mentioned more tips on maintaining your water heater below. 

Ways to Maintain Your Water Heater for Best Performance and Longevity

Maintenance of your water heater is necessary to keep it running for years together. It will enhance the efficiency and performance of the geyser and at the same time will help you save some costs. A maintained water heater supplies the user with a consistent and continuous supply of hot water and adds to environmental sustainability by lowering energy consumption. 

Let’s take a look at some of the ways to maintain your water heater for best performance:

1. Flush water heater at least once a year – To get rid of sediment build-up in the tank, you may flush the tank regularly. This is very important if you want your water heater to run smoothly and efficiently as well as to increase its longevity.
2. Check the temperature and pressure valve daily – Any malfunction in the pressure and temperature of the valve can create tank over-pressurization. This in turn may cause performance issues and may cause the tank to explode.
3. Check the anode rod – The corrosion in the water heater is prevented by the anode rod and hence must be replaced in two to three years depending on the amount of corrosion discovered.
4. Get a routine inspection every two months – A routine inspection in two to three months should be done to stay updated with the condition of the water heater to see if it has any leaks, loose connections, corrosion, etc.
5. Check the ventilation system of your gas water heaters – If you have a gas water heater, you must keep a check on the venting system of the water heater. The vent pipe should be clear with a properly sealed vent connector.   
6. Insulate heater and water pipes – You can also insulate the tanks and connecting pipes to save on energy and cost in the long term. You can use water heater blankets to insulate the tank and pipes.
7. Drain the tank and wash out sediments –  You should drain the tank to remove sediments. Drain the entire amount of water available in the heater into a bucket and remove the sediments in the bottom of the tank through the valve of the cold water supply. Repeat the process until the hose supplies clean water.     

Troubleshooting Common Problems Faced During Water Heater Maintenance 

1. What to do if your water heater is providing an inadequate supply of hot water?
   In that case, check the thermostat settings of your water heater and inspect the heating elements to see if any irregularities are there that may be causing the inadequate heating of water.

2. What to do if strange noises are coming from the water heater?
   Strange noises from the water heater may be due to a build-up of sediment causing sounds of rumbling and popping. In that case, you may drain the tank to solve the issue.

3. What to do if the water heater is facing leaking water issues?
   If you see leakage in the water heater, inspect valves and pipes for the leaks. Also, check the tank for any leaks to fix the problem soon.

4. What to do if you see rusty water coming from your water heater? 
   Corrosion may cause rusty water to come out of the water heater. To solve the issue you may inspect the anode rod and repair it. However, if the problem continues, you may check for any corrosion in the tank.

5. What to do if you find foul odor coming out of the hot water of your water heater?
   Bacterial growth in the tank may cause the water to produce foul odors. This problem can be solved by draining and cleaning the tank.

Conclusion

Water geysers are a common household appliance used in most houses across countries. Being an important appliance used regularly, it is necessary to keep your water heater running smoothly. Also, with rising geyser prices, maintaining it is better to avoid repairs and changing the entire heater. 

There are several easy and cost-effective ways to increase the efficiency and longevity of a water heater as mentioned in the post. Just follow these maintenance tips to make your water heater run smoothly and to make the availability of hot water less expensive. However, if you are unable to inspect and repair your water heater on your own, you may call for professional help to keep your water heater maintained and running smoothly for a long time.