Although water heaters are an essential part of our day-to-day lives, they tend to be forgotten when it comes to home maintenance projects. Fortunately, water heaters don’t require much maintenance, but they do need to be flushed about once a year, depending on how hard your home’s water is.
Below we’ll explain why it’s important to flush your tank or tankless water heater and how doing this can help ensure the equipment can operate at its best.
Why Flushing Your Water Heater Is Important
Your home’s water contains naturally-occurring minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. While these minerals are okay to drink, they can cause problems for your water heater, plumbing system, and water-using appliances when they harden. Heating the water allows the minerals within it to form small, solid particles of sediment that sink and coat your water heater’s components.
When layers upon layers of sediment form over your water heater’s heating element, they can slow down how fast the equipment warms water. When you flush your water heater, you are actively draining out the sediment that causes this efficiency issue.
What Happens When You Don’t Flush Your Water Heater
As mentioned above, sediment layers can form between your water heater’s heating element and the water it needs to warm. When this happens, not only is it going to take longer for the water heater to perform its job, but the equipment will also need to use more energy than it did previously because the job is taking longer to do. This will result in higher energy bills over time.
Sediment buildup can lead to more severe issues. If there is a huge amount of sediment at the bottom of your water heater tank, it can significantly reduce the tank’s capacity. This means you might run out of water much faster than you used to.
Sediment can also reduce your water heater’s lifespan by causing corrosion to occur more quickly. Additionally, the buildup can clog vital areas like the pressure and relief valve, an essential component that prevents your water heater tank from bursting.
Bottom Line
By flushing your water heater once a year, you can prevent energy waste and help extend the equipment’s lifespan.
For top-notch water heater services in Gilbert, AZ, you can always count on the experts at EZ Flow Plumbing, LLC. Contact us online or give us a call at (480) 351-1820!