Most people don’t think about doing maintenance on their water heaters. After all, water heaters are pretty durable and many times it seems easier to just buy and install a new water heater when yours fails. However, just as maintenance on your heating or air conditioning system can help reduce and prevent repairs to those systems, so can maintenance for your water heater. Part of maintaining your water heater involves flushing it a least once a year, and you may be surprised at how much it can help your system.
How Is a Water Heater Flushed?
A water heater is fairly simple. Your technician will turn off the power source (gas or electricity) and pull out the hose attachment at the top of the tank; this allows air to enter the tank, which makes it easier to drain. A small garden hose is attached to the nozzle at the bottom of the tank, and the nozzle is opened, allowing the tank’s water to drain out. Once the water in the tank drains, the technician will flush it with warm water to clear out sediment that may be in the bottom of the tank. If bacteria has developed, the technician may do a second flush mixing bleach with the water to kill and remove the bacteria from the inside of the tank.
Why Do a Water Heater Flush?
As mentioned above, flushing your water heater is part of maintenance. But why do it? Here are some reasons to consider:
- Removal of sediment and minerals – all water has small amounts of sediment and minerals, but when allowed to build for a number of years, the amount that settles in the bottom of your water tank can be significant.
- Better energy efficiency – when your hot water heater isn’t impaired by significant sediment and mineral build-up, it functions better, which can increase its energy efficiency.
- Removal of bacteria – if you have ever experienced a sulfur smell around a water heater, you’ve experienced bacteria in a water heater. When water heaters aren’t properly maintained, bacteria can develop inside the tank and flourish; the result is a rotten-egg type of smell. Flushing the tank removes the bacteria and allows the technician to clean the tank, ensuring that upon refill, there is no more bacteria.
Flushing your water heater annually can help prevent water heater repair in Orange County. If you are interested in maintaining your water tank, call Saddleback Plumbing today and schedule an appointment with one of our experts.