Five Important Tips for Maintaining Hot Water System
While some people might think that you don’t really need a hot water system (fresh cold showers for me please!), there are at least a couple of reasons why it’s a good idea. Washing your dishes for instance, and your clothes, and a nice hot bucket to do your toilet floor from time to time.
You should get your hot water system serviced often enough to look after it; don’t just leave it until it breaks down.
But in between services, here some tips to keep it tip-top. Maintenance is easy to do yourself, and some regular handiwork by you can double or triple the lifespan of your system. Keeping your system running well will also keep your gas or electricity bills down, as the heater won’t be working overtime and draining all your energy.
Five great tips for keeping your hot water system running hot
Check the anode
The sacrificial anode is a metal rod which hangs down inside your system and attracts the minerals and any impurities in the water to it. This saves the inside of the walls of the system from rust. The anode slowly degrades because of its important job, and you need to routinely replace it. How often depends on the properties in your water, but you should probably do it at least every five years.
Temperature Pressure Relief Valve
Your TPR’s job is to automatically vent hot water pressure when the temperature gets too hot or pressure too high and stops the hot water system from exploding. You should ideally flush and test your TPR every six months to make sure that it is working properly, and also do it any time there is water leaking from it.
This will expel a little hot water, so make sure you are covered up when you do this. If the TPR won’t budge at all when you try to open it, you need a new one. It might be time to contact the best hot water system, guys.
Keep it clear
Make sure that you keep your hot water system from shrubs, rubbish, dead leaves, weeds or any other clutter build-up. This keeps your system working better and also prevents fires around the home. Although systems are not the prettiest things to look at, they are getting much more attractive these days. You don’t need to cover yours up with a wattle tree.
Not too hot
Set your hot water system only as hot as you really need it. This keeps your house safer if you have little children who may like to turn on taps by themselves. This will also save money on your energy bill because you are not constantly heating the water to a temperature you don’t need.
New home? Get a full inspection
When you move into a new home, you may not think to automatically get your hot water system checked or serviced, but doing so can be very beneficial. Contact a best-rated plumbing company to get a full plumbing inspection to ensure there are no problems in your hot water system or other areas. Finding problems before they take hold is the best way to save money around the home.
