A traditional tank water heater can serve a home for about 8-12 years. Serving as one of the most vital appliances for your home to function daily, ensuring that you are doing the most for your water heater to live a long lifespan is essential.
At Small Jobs Plumbing, Inc., our team of water heater specialists provides installation, repairs, and ongoing maintenance for those in Rohnert Park and surrounding Sonoma County. As a best practice to enhance the longevity of your water heater, here are some of our tips to follow.
Use the Vacation Mode
Before leaving for a vacation or extended time away from home, switch your water heater to “vacation mode” to lower the water temperature. This setting helps by reducing energy consumption, saving money, and preventing sediment buildup and corrosion while not in use.
If your water heater doesn’t have this mode, you can still adjust the temperature to a more energy-efficient setting.
Flush Your Tank Periodically
Over time, dust, dirt, and minerals in your water can settle at the bottom of your water heater’s tank, causing sediment buildup. Sediment buildup can lead to internal corrosion, affecting water heater performance. To keep your water heater working at its peak efficiency and increase its service life, flush it once a year by draining about three gallons of water from the tank.
This is a task best left to the professionals. Due to the extreme heat, pressure, and other conditions posed by your water supply, when it is time to flush your water heater, call on the right team for the job.
Install a Water Softener
The quality of water in your home can impact the lifespan of your water heater. Hard water, which is water with high mineral content, can lead to sediment buildup in the heater and shorten its lifespan. A water softener can help prevent hard water damage. It works to filter out minerals in hard water, allowing only soft water to flow through your plumbing system.
Ongoing Professional Maintenance
Regular professional maintenance can save you money on repairs down the road. Have a professional inspect and maintain your water heater annually. During an annual maintenance session, your plumber will look for signs of leaks and damage in your water heating system. They will check the body of your water heater for cracks, leaks, and gaps. The professional will provide solutions to issues that they find. They will fix leaks and tighten loose parts immediately, ensuring problems are resolved promptly.
Inspect the Sacrificial Anode Regularly
The anode rod protects your water heater tank from rust by drawing the ions that cause corrosion to itself. Eventually, the rod will become corroded, leaving your unit susceptible to corrosion.
The anode rod is located within the system. Have your trusted plumbing team inspect the system annually to keep your water heater running well. Small Jobs Plumbing, Inc. is a trusted plumbing contractor in Rohnert Park. We are committed to helping homeowners get the most out of their water heaters. To schedule a water heater repair near you in Rohnert Park, call 707-908-8003.