Water Heater Maintenance

Your water heater may be one of the appliances in your home you take for granted—until it stops working and you wind up in a cold shower. To make sure you don't get a chilly and possibly expensive surprise, it's a good idea to perform regular maintenance on your water heater and tankless water heaters.

Why Do It?

Draining ensures the long life of your water heater by flushing out minerals and other debris that can cause it to malfunction. Sediment is small bits of dirt, rock and other debris that can work its way into your water heater over time. Being heavier than water, it will settle to the bottom of the tank and build up. It's not an earth-shattering problem, but in areas having water with a high mineral content (San Diego has some of the hardest water in the nation), or water coming from a well or other supply that may not be well filtered, it certainly is possible to accumulate a fair amount of material in the bottom of the tank. That sediment buildup can potentially decrease the amount of hot water the tank can hold. For that reason, flushing your water heater will save you money on energy costs. Sediment buildup can also clog up the drain valve. If your city periodically flushes the municipal water lines, or anything else causes a water surge or a sudden increase in water pressure, that layer of sediment can get itself all stirred up and work its way into faucets, valves and other areas where it's better off not being. If you do not properly maintain your water heater, it may cease to function altogether or result in cold bursts of water when least expected. Hence the advice to periodically drain and flush your water heater to remove that buildup of sediment before it can do any harm.

How Often?

This is a very simple procedure, and how often you need to do it depends on your local water conditions — annually or even semiannually in areas with poor water quality. Always check your owner's manual to see what the manufacturer suggests. The basic rule is the more you use the water heater, the more often it needs maintenance.

Avoid these problems and extend the life of your water heater by calling CF Plumbing, Inc. We will have one of our trained service technicians drain and flush your water heater to remove sediment and perform a complete safety inspection