Monday, May 5th, 2014

5 Tips for Increasing Your Water Heater’s Life Span

In today’s busy world, unexpected hot water heater failure can rapidly create havoc in your home life. A broken water heater means time off work, finding a suitable replacement, working with a reputable plumber, and — worst of all — cold showers. The popular manufacturers (A. O. Smith, American, Whirlpool, Bradford White, and others), suggest the life of a water heater is 8-12 years. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to extend your water heater’s life and efficiency:

1. For older water heaters: Inspect and replace the anode rod ASAP. It is “sacrificial” and it self-corrodes so that your water heater tank does not.

2. Install an expansion tank and potentially double potentially double the life of your water heater. When water is heated from 50º to 120º, it expands. In a closed system (i.e., you have a valve that prevents water from back flowing into the water main), expansion causes rapid increases and decreases in water pressure. This pressure on your heater and plumbing which can cause early failure.

3. Clean and flush your tank annually, especially if your heater is older than 8 years. This prevent sediment buildup and maintains higher efficiency of your tank

4. Install a Pressure Regulating Valve (PRV). A PRV reduces system, as well as wear and tear on appliances.

5. Install a water softeners — this is less of an issue for people on city water, but if you have well water with high mineral content (iron and/or calcium), scaling can occure (a.k.a. your appliances and pipes get “limed up”. Scaling reduces the life of a water heater.

Today, there are many options for replacing an aging water heater – determining which type of water heater (gas, electric or tankless) is best suited to your needs and lifestyle is a good start. Your plumbing professionals at Allied Reddi-Rooter are available for a quick consultation.  Call or contact  the team at Allied Reddi-Rooter. We’ll make sure your home’s plumbing is ready for the new year. We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.