Are you a man or woman who loves a good DIY? Well, you’ve come to the right place – “How to Service your Hot Water System for Dummies”. Every household has a hot water system that needs regular maintenance. Surprisingly, not many people know how to do this on their own. I guess another one of the many useful life skills we weren’t taught in school, like how to pay less taxes.
Servicing can double or even triple the lifespan of your water heater, which means big savings! Now we know we’ve got your attention. It should be done on average every five years, although please refer to manufacturer’s guidelines for each model.
How to service your hot water system
Servicing a hot water system is easy, and we mean EASY. The only equipment it requires is a bucket.
Step #1 – Locate The Sacrificial Anode
First, locate the “sacrificial anode” on your hot water heater. It looks like a silver metal rod hanging from the side of the hot water heater (we would show you a picture, but really our IT is not that savvy).
Step #2 – Check For Issues
Once you have located the sacrificial anode place the bucket under the pipe to catch any running water.
Pull the rod out and let the water run.
After a few minutes, push the rod back in place and the water should stop running.
If there are any leaks or the water continues to run, Houston we have a problem! We recommend giving us a call if this happens.
What Could The Issue Be?
The problem may be a TPR valve replacement, and that’s slightly more technical than a bucket. We do not recommend replacing this yourself and you can ask us about the many horror stories if you want to know why. If the water did stop, then grab a beer, lay on your couch and give us your best “Day For It!”. Congratulations, you’ve successfully serviced your hot water system and you’re off the hook for the next 5 years.
If you sat there blankly asking… What is a hot water system? Why do I need to service it? What is DIY? Well, you probably need a bit more help than just this blog.
Give us a call and we will guide you through it step-by-step and teach you some life-long skills you’d wish you’d known earlier. Maybe we can even share a tip or two about paying less taxes!