Don’t Forget About Water Heater Maintenance
As a Wilmington area homeowner, experience tells you to take care of your heating system and shore up home efficiency heading into the winter months. However, have you given any thought to the importance of taking care of your water heater? Read on to learn how scheduling water heater maintenance with your plumbing professional can save you money and ensure safe and efficient hot water.
Benefits of Water Heater Maintenance
When you consider the number of times you use hot water each day for showering, cleaning and cooking, your water heater stays quite busy and consumes a lot of energy. In fact, of all the systems in your home, your heating system is probably the only appliance that uses more energy than your water heater. So, annual maintenance is highly suggested to ensure the following benefits:
- Efficiency: Sediment and mineral deposits on the bottom of your storage tank reduce water-heating efficiency and make your water heater work harder. Your plumbing professional should drain and clean your water heater. Keeping your water clean also promotes a longer service life by reducing the chance of corrosion from the inside out.
- Safety: You surely make the connection between home safety and properly maintaining CO detectors and smoke alarms. Though, your water heater needs maintenance to ensure safe operation, too. The temperature and pressure (T&P) relief valve is a safety mechanism that releases hot water or steam in the event too much pressure builds inside the storage tank. This device should be tested and inspected for leaking.
- Part replacement: Replacing water heater parts helps prevent malfunctions and subsequent repair calls. For example, the anode rod and hot-surface igniter should be replaced every three to five years. The anode rod is actually designed to be replaced. It attracts metals in the water heater and, in turn, corrodes after a few years.
