Tank style water heaters have the shortest lifespan of all water heater types (around 10 years), but you can extend the life of your water heater with proper regular maintenance. Most maintenance can be performed on your own at-home, but you can also call a licensed plumber if you prefer! Our plumbers have experience in all things water heaters from Austin to San Antonio. Here are maintenance tips from our master plumbers.
Flush Your Water Heater | Every 6 Months
The most important thing you can do to keep your water heater in great shape is to regularly flush it out. This should be done every 6 to 12 months, depending on how much your water heater is used. If you’re not sure, put it on your calendar for the same time every six months. Flushing your water heater helps to clear out all of the built up sediment in your water heater tank. Limescale from your water supply naturally builds up within your tankless water heater. If you don’t flush it out regularly, the limescale can get very thick and prevent your unit from heating properly. Built up sediment can also prevent the hot water from properly flowing out of your tank, which can result in water that doesn’t feel like it’s getting hot enough or even a low flow of hot water.
Cleaning Your Gas Water Heater | Every Year
If you have a gas water heater, it’s very important to keep it clean around the burner chamber, pilot assembly, and air intake. This area can build up dust and debris that causes your pilot light to go out. It may relight for you but will eventually go out again. This will continue until you’re constantly having to relight your pilot and dealing with a lack of hot water.
Working with gas fixtures can be dangerous, so we’d recommend calling a licensed plumber to help you with this maintenance task.