Your water heater never stops working. Traditional tank water heaters keep a constant tap of hot water available to you every minute of the day, and when a machine runs continuously, it has a high chance of running into some issues. Most notable in this case, it’s limescale buildup.
Your hot water heater in Rochester NY pulls in water from your supply, then pushes hot water out to your pipes. It sounds simple, but there are impurities in the water such as excess minerals that don’t always leave the tank. Let’s talk about that and how annual water heater maintenance helps tackle this problem.
Unless You Have Hard Water, Once Per Year
Hard water can wreak havoc on your water heater. Hard water is best described as water with a high concentration of calcium and magnesium, although there are also other minerals in the mix. These minerals eventually settle at the bottom of the hot water heater tank.
As this builds, it causes scaling. Then there’s less room for hot water in your tank, so the total capacity of your tank reduces (even though it’s very slight at first, this effect can compound over time). If you flush your water tank once every six months when you have hard water, it eliminates this mineral buildup.
If you have a water softener system, you don’t have as many hard water minerals in your water. This is beneficial for the longevity of your water heater. Having a water softener will help eliminate this buildup but having the system flushed may still be needed at some point in time.
It Lowers Operational Costs
Without all those minerals in the water, the cost to actually run your hot water heater stays low. Flushing it out is a tune-up, allowing your water heater to not have to work as hard. Whether your water heater uses electricity or it’s a gas unit, or if it’s a tank or tankless model, lowering your operating costs will benefit your monthly budget either way.
Keep Your Water Heater Alive Longer
While this does impact electric water heaters more than gas water heaters due to the heating element, it’s relevant for all types. We talked about minerals and scaling. These deposits can chip off for whatever reason, and large sections can make their way into your pipes and create blocks.
The result? Unnecessary pressure building in your pipes and potential bursting and a reduction of hot water pressure. This is the most noticable impact of water heater neglect, and when it happens, it requires repairs.
Don’t Delay: Call Today
Your water heater needs to be maintained before it breaks down on you. Repairs are more expensive than maintenance and tune-ups, and they help prevent more water heater replacements throughout the years. Let’s help you handle those water heater troubles today.
Contact Potter Heating Cooling & Plumbing today to schedule your water heater maintenance and repairs as soon as possible.