Why Annual Water Heater Maintenance is Important

06/15/2015

You probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about your water heater. That’s okay, not may people do. However, you should know that your water heater is one of the hardest working appliances in your home. You may not use your heater or air conditioner every day, but you almost certainly use hot water on a regular basis. All that use produces a lot of wear and tear, along with other problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible. That’s why it’s so important that you have water heater maintenance conducted on an annual basis. Let’s take a look at what happens during a water heater maintenance appointment.

Sediment Flushing

If you use a tank water heater, as most homeowners do, sediment will build up on the bottom of the tank during use. This happens even if you don’t have a hard water problem in your area. If the sediment is not periodically cleaned out, it can build up so much that it insulates the bottom of the storage tank. This prevents heat from actually making it into the tank to heat the water. During a maintenance appointment, the tank is flushed to remove any sediment buildup that is present. This is very important for maintaining the health of the water heater.

Checking the Anode Rod

The anode rod is the part that keeps your water heater tank from rusting. It does this through a process called “electrolysis,” which causes it to degrade instead of the water heater. Once the anode rod degrades far enough, though, the protection it offers the tank expires. At that point, the anode rod needs to be replaced. During a water heater maintenance appointment, your technician should check to see if the anode rod needs to be replaced. If so, it will be replaced with a new one to ensure that the tank remains protected.

If you haven’t scheduled water heater maintenance yet this year, call Rooter Man. We provide water heater maintenance services throughout Albany, NY.