How to help your hot water heater last longer
Appliances are great! Without them we would have to work so much more. Most of us are not aware that we take most things for granted. We go about our daily business without doing lots of menial work but we don't know that most of the tasks that take us only a few minutes once required people hours and hours to perform. Just washing and drying clothes could take a few days. And even when you worked at it for hours and hours or days and days it did not mean that you got a finished product that was as good as something you might have got from a machine. Tools would have broken down easily and you would have found yourself spending almost all of your time just working to keep the basic necessities going. However, with the invention of machines like the clothes washer and dryer we find ourselves spending so much more time doing the things that matter to us. One of the inventions that has really changed people's lives in modern times is the hot water heater. Imagine having to cut wood in order to build a fire in a large steel stove. Then you would have to carry all of the water to the bath in order to clean yourself. This process could take several hours and a couple of people to perform! And think of things like washing dishes, or just washing your hands! Because these devices are so precious for so much that we do, it is important that you know how to keep your hot water heater going for as long as possible. So pay attention and learn about how to help your hot water heater last longer.
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One thing that you should check is the pressure in your water heater tank. There is a device in your water heater called a pressure relief valve. If your water tank was to fill too much then the valve would open and some of the water would leave the tank. If this valve did not work then you would have an explosion on your hands, and a potentially dangerous one. To check and make sure that the valve is working, do the following:
First turn off all electricity and switch the gas switch to the pilot setting. Shut off all the cold water-meaning shut off the cold water inlet. You will need to put a bucket or some sort of container under the pressure relief valve. There is a trip lever on the valve. Pull this lever. Some air should rush out and there might be some water or water vapor exiting the valve. If none of this happens and none of these things come out of the valve you should replace the valve.
Another thing you should do is to flush the tank of your water heater every six months. To do this you should turn off the electricity to the water heater and move the gas switch to the pilot setting. Then you should close off the cold water inlet for the water heater. There is a drain valve on the water heater. Hook up a hose to the water heater drain valve tank. Remember that the water coming out of the tank will be very hot, so you should vent it to somewhere where that will not create a problem. Open the pressure relief valve and drain the tank until there is nothing left in it. When it is done draining you should close the the drain valve and the pressure valve and disconnect the hose. Open the hot water spigots in your home and then turn the cold water spigot on in the water heater. Close the hot water spigots when hot water starts to come out (at eachs spigot). Once all the spigots are turned off you should turn your water heater on by turning on the electricity to it.
