Flushing Isn’t Just For Toilets
Have you ever taken the time to imagine how life would be without a water heater? Perhaps you have been one of the “lucky” ones to experience your water heater malfunctioning and don’t have to imagine. Before residences were fitted with water heaters, water had to be heated on a fire or atop a stove.
Due to the amount of time and energy it would take to heat water this way, baths were done on a monthly basis. The stench of body odor and diseases that were spread from lack of cleanliness may have been normal for people of long ago but it is highly frowned upon in our current society.
So just ponder for a moment: what would life be like without a water heater? A couple days, no problem. A week and you’re probably getting a hotel or showering at a relative’s house. What about if you had to wait a couple pay days to save up the money? Now you’re looking at a month and just hope and pray that isn’t in the winter. Bottom line, we are dependent on water heaters. There isn’t time to boil water for a bath between work, caring for a family or socializing with friends. There are ways you can prevent or postpone a plumbing emergency like this.
WATER HEATER MAINTENANCE
To prevent such an inconvenience to our daily routine, maintenance is crucial. For a simple service fee, a plumber can perform water heater maintenance in about an hour. This type of service would include: draining and flushing the water heater, checking the anode rod and check the overall condition of the water heater.
The anode rod is what prevents the water heater tank from rusting. It’s considered the sacrificial lamb of the unit. Once the anode rod has reached its lifespan of approximately 5-6 years, rust can start attacking the tank, causing it to eventually leak. If you have a water softener, you may need to replace your anode rod more frequently.
Flushing a water heater removes sediment and could increase the amount of hot water your tank can hold. In addition, flushing the water heater of its contents will let the plumber see if there is rust in the tank which could be a sign that the water heater is going to leak. There is no fixing a leaking water heater tank. The only recommendation for a leaking water heater from the tank is to replace it.
The plumber will also check the overall condition of the water heater. There are various parts attached to the water heater that can cause it to fail if not properly maintained.