Proper maintenance and care for the common water heaters should be high among the tasks a responsible homeowner should do. This modern-day marvel not only carries much-needed and sought-after hot water throughout the house but also helps keep the home running and its inhabitants happy. But when people talk about water heaters and how to take care of them properly, you would probably first think that maybe you will need to hire a professional plumber or get a good plumbing service to do it for you. If that is what you thought, you'd be pleasantly surprised to know that even someone with limited knowledge about the ins and outs of plumbing can properly take care of their water heaters in their own home. 

The plumbers in Bexley have generously donated their time to help compile a list of some professional tips that you can do to keep your water heater in tip-top shape and far from any complications.

Regular Inspection 

Develop a routine in which you go and take a look at your water heater at least once a month. These inspections can help you see any potential problems that may arise in the future. And since you caught them early on, where they aren't that much of a problem yet, you can easily handle them even without the help of a professional plumber.

Insulate the Tank

We all know the benefits of insulation. But what are the benefits of insulating the tank itself? By insulating the tank, you can expect a few things to happen:

1. Water will take less time to heat up inside it. This is because the insulator helps prevent the loss of heat, thus reducing the time needed to heat the water.
2. Since the water heater will take less time to heat, you can see an increase in how much energy you can save every month, which leads up to.
3. You'd be able to keep more cash in your pockets due to the less energy usage of your newly insulated water heater.

Insulate the Pipes 

Having tackled the benefits of why you should insulate your tank above, the same benefits can be said to insulating your pipes as well, but now it's better. How, you may ask? Well, you would lose a lot less heat while transporting the hot water through the pipes, thus saving you more energy, which means saving you a lot more money.

Time to Flush

Why should you drain your water heater at least once a year? Well, according to the plumbers in Beaumont Hills that the advantage of draining your water heater at least once a year is that you can use that time to properly and manually clean out the interior of the tank and make sure to remove any sedimentary build-up from it that might be forming within the heater itself.

High Temperatures are a Problem

As weird as it sounds, having too high of temperatures in your water heater can also be very detrimental to it and the users. You can easily burn yourself if the temperature is too high. The water heater can also damage itself with the extreme heat it can produce. The pipes and joints the extremely hot water travels through can experience some expansion, thus creating more and more cracks as every heating cycle happens. So lower the temp or be prepared to be burnt. 

Check on the Temperature Pressure Release Valve

When you get a chance to inspect, assess, and test your water heater properly, don't forget to check out and evaluate if the temperature pressure release valve (or TPR valve for short) is working properly. This valve is one of the most important parts of the water heater, and if this part is damaged or broken, have it replaced immediately. But why is it so important? As the name suggests, the valve is responsible for releasing the built-up pressure created when you do a heating cycle with the heater. If the pressure is not properly released, this could lead to less favorable future incidents.

Change Anode Rods

You might think, "What in the world are Anode Rods?". The simple answer given by the plumbers in Beverly Hills is that they are rods that attract any corrosive materials in the water so that they wouldn't stick to the sides of the tank and corrode them. "When should you have them replaced then?" you just thought. They usually last for quite a long time, and with proper maintenance, they can last up to five years before they are needed to be replaced.

Have an Expert's Opinion

Check out the water by yourself is well and all, but having the opinion of an expert on the matter is still the best thing you could do for yourself and the water heater you have. The professional plumber would have more experience spotting even the smallest signs of danger or problem in your heater.

Conclusion

When problems arise from your water heater, it becomes very annoying and even expensive to deal with, so that's why proper maintenance, regular cleanings, and checkups on your water heater are essential so that you don't have to deal with it breaking all of a sudden when you're enjoying a hot shower.