Here are seven easy steps to follow in maintaining your water heater:
1. Get your water heater ready. First, make sure the electric water heater power is switched off. Turn the water source off by closing the valve on the cold water pipe line, which is usually located at the top of the heater, and to the right. Test it by opening a hot water tap in the house and you will feel air pressure coming out from it.
At the bottom of the water heater is another valve and this is the drain valve; open it. Release around a gallon of water from the heater. While you are working on the heater, make sure no one is using hot water from the pipes the whole time.
2. Assess your anode rod. Be aware that anode rods are usually as tall as the water heater itself. In most cases, the water heater is right beneath the ceiling, and its closeness to the ceiling makes it difficult to pull out the full anode rod from the water heater.
Still, try to get as much of the anode rod out as you can, and check for the occurrence of flaking on the surface, or if the central wire is exposed. If it is still in good condition (the absence of the mentioned), then put it back into the water heater.
Anode rods are almost as tall as the water heater itself, more often than not the ceiling. The greatest occurrence of flaking and exposure of core wire is at the top of the rod as that is where most of the hot water is located. If an anode rod needs to be removed and replaced, to do it, you have to bend the rod in the middle against the water heater’s opening and slowly pull it out.
To replace it with a new one, just bend the new one in the middle as well, then just straighten it out at the opening. Try to straighten it as much as you can to avoid any wobbling when you screw it in place. Bend it in the middle against the water heater’s opening and pull it out.
To put a new one in, simply bend it in the middle again and straighten it out at the opening. If you are limited by a low overhead clearance (less than 2 feet), then purchase a replacement anode rod that is link-type, which has sausage links of metal attached together instead of one whole rod. This is easier to put in
3. Then choose replacement anode type. The anode rod usually varies according to the metal it’s made from. The 3 types of metals used are magnesium, aluminum, and zinc. The choice depends on the quality of the water in your area.
If your water is naturally soft, install a magnesium anode. For places with very hard water or water that is softened with a lot of salts, use aluminum. Also, aluminum rods are used if the previous one had deteriorated significantly.
Make sure you are not using the hot water coming from this heater for your cooking needs, when you have an aluminum rod installed. The risk of using this is you will expose people to aluminum in the water, which has a lot of negative effects on us, one of which is Alzheimer’s disease.
You normally do not see zinc anode rods already fitted into the water heater. They are usually used to neutralize the sulfuric smells in the water. Because zinc anodes are only 10% actual zinc, and the rest of it is still aluminum, using water from the heater with a zinc anode is not recommended.
An aluminum rod bends easily in your hands while magnesium doesn’t. If the rod bends easily in your hands, it is aluminum, if not it is magnesium. When buying the rod, make sure that you buy a rod that is taller than the heater, and then just cut it down when necessary. The usual length to buy is one that is more than 3 feet and 8 inches.
4. Add a second anode rod. Look at your water heater. If it has an exposed hexagon-shaped head on the top, it is ok to install another rod, and this serves as added protection for your heater.
For these water heaters, the way to do it is to unscrew the hot water outlet, and note the pipe that is on top of the heater and on the left. Here, a combination anode rod can be fixed. Since putting in anode rods is at risk, and adding another is much riskier, it is better to seek professional help from your reliable plumber.
5. Remove the accumulated sediment. Here are 3 signs that you should note in order to detect sediment buildup in your heater: 1) an electric heater would show a lower element burnout. 2) For a gas water heater, there is usually a lot of noise. 3) Look out for any foul smells coming from both types of heaters. Sediment, when high enough, can cover the lower heating element in an electric heater and so the heater is not able to heat.
As for gas heaters, the sediment that accumulates covers the bottom of the heater where the flame heats the burner plate. Water gets covered by sediment and becomes superheated steam, which then releases pressure that makes a loud roaring noise.
The sulfuring smell that sometimes comes out is a result of this sediment build-up that can breed foul-smelling bacteria inside the sediment. The best way to avoid you having the same problem in the future is by putting in a curved dip tube. A plumber can also suck out the sediment using a vac-tool. Another option is to melt the sediment
6. Install a curved dip tube and flush the water heater. A standard water heater has a straight dip tube installed. When it is time to replace it because of sediment build-up, then replace with a curved dip tube. This dip tube is a piece of plastic pipe inside your water heater where water is moved from one area of the heater to another.
The purpose of this tube is to move the coldest water to near the bottom where it can be readily heated. The water that comes out from this tube pushes the sediment away with the flow of the cold water. Another way to clear the sediment is to open the drain valve and letting the cold water enter the heater for 5 minutes.
Sediment is picked up and kept in suspension in the water. Opening the drain valve and letting cold water enter the water heater for 5 minutes can clear up a lot of sediment. Constant and efficient flushing of sediment is best done every 6 months at least, but preferably more often.
7. Remove sediment with a muck vac, if all else fails. A professional such as a plumber is needed to use this tool.
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