A water heater is a large investment, and an important part of our everyday lives. Of course you would want to take great care of it to ensure it lives a long life, but what steps can you take?
We at Draingo Plumbing have been water heater plumbers in the Tarpon Springs, Florida area for years, so let us help you navigate the maintenance of your water heater below!
What Is Flushing?
What is flushing a water heater, and what are you even flushing from it? Water heaters, no matter what kind you have, all produce sediments from the heating aspect of the tank that collect over time.
We’ve been plumbers in the Tarpon Springs, Florida area for a while and in our experience we’ve found flushing to be the most beneficial way of removing this sediment.
There is a drain spout at the bottom of the water heater where you can hook up a hose and let the sediment flush out into your yard for about 30-45 minutes. It’s that easy!
We as water heater plumbers in Tarpon Springs recommend flushing your water heater every 6-12 months depending on the water quality in your area. If there’s a lot of calcium or magnesium in your local water source, for example, you may want to flush every 6 months to avoid excessive build up.
To Drain Or Not To Drain?
You may have been told to entirely drain and inspect your water heater tank every 6-12 months before, but there are some instances when draining your water heater is not advised.
On the inside of your water heater tank, there are 6-8 welds holding it together. Every time you drain and inspect it, you are depressurizing that tank and weakening those welds. In the pursuit of maintaining your tank, you are actually wearing down the structure of it little by little every 6-12 months, making it more susceptible to leaks.
Now let’s say, the five year anniversary of you purchasing a brand new water heater comes around, and you realize you’ve never drained or flushed it. Honestly, we just advise in these cases to leave it be. At that point the sediment is so packed in there, flushing will do little to nothing to it, and you might even get another three or so years out of it, which is about the average lifespan of a water heater (8-10 years). If you are in need of knowledgeable and experienced plumbers in the Tarpon Springs, Florida area that can help you with your water heater needs, or anything else residential, give us a call today!
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