Quite often, water heaters are installed with galvanized nipples at the
water inlet and outlet point. These nipples loose their protective lining
after a few years of use. Once that happens, the galvanized metal starts
to rust thus leaving you with burst of brown water.
One way to prevent this is by replacing the "Anode" rod on your water heater. Most quality brand
water heaters have them, if you keep them fresh and new, you will get many
more years of life out of your tank.
You also want to remember that flushing your water heater tank every
couple of months will help remove the "Hard water build-up" that will happen.
If you have very hard water, an automatic flushing system can be hooked in
to the tank to flush automatically every month.
If your water heater is heating your water beyond where the setting
required, your "Unitrol" is most
likely defective. Your heater may be very old, and scale has built up to
the point to where the "Unitrol sensor" cannot properly sense the water temperature and turn the gas off and on
when needed.
If your hot-water tank isn't giving you the volume of hot water your
use too, your "dip tube" . After a
period of time, the dip tubes start to dissolve in the water, this allows
the cold water coming into the tank to mix with the hot-water that is
stored in the tank causing the water to cool off before getting to the
tap. Replace the dip tube and your set.
On the side, near the top of every water heater you will find a safety
device called a "relief valve". This valve has a spring inside that will
release pressure build-up that can occur when the burner fails to shut off
causing the water to boil thus pressure build-up. Without it, your water
heater can cause MAJOR property damage and death. After years of use, the
spring gets a little weak and will cause water to leak out when there
really isn't a problem with the rest of the heater parts. Replacement of
the valve is then needed. If you don't want to do this yourself, Call
Ron at Mr Tap 403 286 0711 for service.
It's a good idea to try and match hot-water tank
size to your family's needs. If you get a water tank that's too small,
you'll frequently find the water cooling down just about the time you
lather up in the shower. If you buy one that's too large, you'll be paying
more of energy than necessary to keep the tank heated.
Hot water needs can typically be measured by
the number of bathrooms in the house, though some circumstances can skew
these standards-- a laundry-heavy family with small children or a house
with an especially large bathtub, for example. Obviously, a couple living
in a large house or a large family living in a small house require
adjusting the figures. Minimum size unit for a 1-bathroom house should be
30 or 40 gallons, in either gas or electric. For a 1 1/2-bath house, 40
gallons is minimum. For a 2- to 3 1/2-bath house, choose a 50-gallon gas
heater or a 66- to 80-gallon electric one (because electric water heaters
take longer to heat water, large tanks should be bigger than their
gas-fired counterparts). For a large, 4-bath house or a home with an
extra-large bathtub, get a 75-gallon gas heater or a 120-gallon electric
heater.
Water heating uses 17% of the energy in
North American homes, and is the second largest energy expense in
North American households.
Solar water heaters or
geothermal heat pumps are two renewable energy options for reducing the
amount of conventional energy you use for water heating—but you can also
save energy by purchasing more energy-efficient conventional water heating
appliances.
If your water heater is more than 10 years old, it probably has no higher
than 50% efficiency. An old water heater can operate for years at very low
efficiencies before it finally fails. One way to reduce water-heating costs
is to replace your old water heater with a new, higher-efficiency model.
In addition, you should reduce your hot water use by buying appliances
with low water usage, such as front-loading (horizontal-axis) washing
machines, and by installing water-conserving plumbing fixtures.
Reducing your water use in general saves you money and saves the energy
used to purify the fresh water you use and the wastewater you dispose of. In
arid climates, reducing your water usage can also help minimize your impact
on the environment and help reduce the need for new dams and other water
projects.
The following sections will help you to save water and heat it
efficiently:
Do the "instant hot water" heaters
work better
than the storage type water-heaters?
Many manufactures of the tank-less heaters have
done studies that show savings over the
tank style.
Click on
this link for good information on the tank-less energy efficient
units.
Depending on where you live, you
might get better use out of the tank-less water heaters vs. the storage
type heaters. Many of the benefits are explained
on this site (click). For great
information on which tank-less make to
buy,
click on this link.
Studies and comparisons can be
found at
this
link click.
I have an electric water heater, It is giving
me little or no hot water?
If your experiencing little or no
hot water from your electric tank, check to make sure the breaker is still
on. Once your sure the power is getting to the tank, and your still not
getting hot water, you most likely have one or more burned out elements. You
can try to repair yourself by shutting off the power, removing the cover
plates and testing for element operation with a electrical tester. I
recommend you call ...(insert sponsor here.)
I live in an area with very hard water,
does hard water cause harm to my water-heater?
Yes. Hard water can shorten the life of your water heater and cost you
more to heat water. Follow a these tips to help decrease the damage to the
hot-water heater.
Hard water build-up issues are different from gas to electric water
heaters. In both, hard water build-up prevents efficient transfer of heat
from the heating element or flame to the water to be heated. Because of
this, it costs more to heat water and will greatly decrease the life of the
water heater if the hard water build-up is not frequently removed . Over
time, built up can decrease the holding capacity of the heater. In electric
water heaters, scale first forms on the heating element then flakes off into
the tank, building up on the bottom. Once the buildup is deep enough to
cover the bottom heating element, conditions are good for the element to
over heat and burn out.
Gas water heaters work by putting a flame under the water tank. Mineral
deposits build up in the bottom of the tank causing it to over heat. A
sudden boiling action causes the mineral deposits to be lifted up into the
water. This makes a rumbling or popping noise when the tank is heated.
There are several ways to deal with problems related to hard water and
the water heater. One is to install a water softener in the plumbing to
soften the before water enters the water heater.
Another way to deal with hard water is to drain and flush the water
heater tank on a regular basis. Recommendations are that it be done as often
as every two or three months, some manufacturers suggest maintenance every
six months. The water heater must be turned off. A hose is screwed onto the
water outlet on the side of the tank, turn on the tap and let the water
flush for 15 minutes. This should keep a good check on build-up. If you
haven't done this in the first few years from date of install, there is a
good chance the hard water build-up is to severe to be removed with this (or
any other) method. Another thing to remember is if you install a water
softener on a old water tank that hasn't been maintained, the minerals will
start to dissolve in the old and and there is a good chance you will
experience a tank rupture thus you will find yourself with a flood and in
need of a new water heater. A clean tank saves money by reducing the
amount of energy needed to heat the water and, by increasing the life span
of the water heater. Also, remember to replace the anode rod often depending
on how hard your water is once every two years should do the trick.
Click here to download a information on how
to save money heating your water.
I have a water softener, does that increase or
decrease the life of my hot-water tank. What about the instant units,
good bad?
Yes and No.
A water softener that is installed when the hot water heater is new or
near new, will increase the tank life by many years. If you install a new water
softener and still have an old un-maintained water heater, you will soon
dissolve the mineral build-up in the old tank exposing weakened and damaged
tank linings. Your old water tank may already have a rupture, and the scale
build-up is plugging the rupture preventing the water from leaking onto the
floor. Anode rods will break down faster with softened water. You will
need to replace the anodes more frequently with softened water.
I have a strong smell coming from the hot
water? What up with that?
If you live an areas surrounding Calgary, as with most other rural areas,
you probably noticed a smell coming from your hot water. The rotten egg
smell is derived from hydrogen sulfide gas dissolved in the water. As little
as 1PPM can result in this odor. The smell is the result of 4 factors which
must be present for the odor to develop in the water heater. 1: high concentration
of sulfate in the raw water. 2: There must be little or no dissolved oxygen
in the water. 3: There must be sulfate reducing bacteria within the heater.
This bacteria is non-toxic to humans. 4:There must be an excess of active
hydrogen in the tank. This is being provided by the cathodic action of the
anode. With these factors hydrogen sulfide gas is formed, which gives off
the rotten egg smell in the water. Active use of the heater will reduce the
problem but no use as a result of vacations, etc.
will allow the accumulation of the gas and add to the odor problem.
Water
softening also aggravates the odor problem by eliminating chlorine thus
increasing the bacteria in the supply. In many situations the smelly water
condition is not experienced until after a softener is installed. Smelly
water can most easily be eliminated or reduced by replacing the anode with
one of less active material (magnesium to aluminum) and then
chlorinating the water heating system. Its not a good idea to remove the anode, thus leaving
the tank unprotected. By doing so you are likely to void all warranty on the heater.
Removal of the anode does not affect safe operation but will shorten the
water heater life as the anode acts as a sacrificial rod thus slowing down
the corrosion process.
What is a Hot-Water
Tank Drip pan?
In the event of a water tank rupture, you can stop water from flooding
your home with a drip pan. These pans are made of plastic or aluminum. the
have provisions to pipe the pan to the floor drain. This will drain off any
water that leaves the tank. Call ( SPONSOR LINK HERE) for any questions or
to have one installed today.
What is a automatic water shut off
valve?
If are serious about preventing flood from the
plumbing system in you home, these automatic valves work well. They operate
on an electric solenoid valve that is controlled by sensors placed
through-out the home. Call Ron @ 403.286.0711 www.mrtap.com for more information.
I have no hot water !!
You never really appreciate your water heater until
you try to shower or bath and the water is cold. If your heater is cold,
depending on the type of heater you have, your pilot light has gone out, in
which case you can have a service man replace the thermocouple. If your
heater is electric, you might have a blow breaker, or a burnt out element.
Unless you are comfortable working with gas or electricity, we recommend you
call a serviceman to fix these problems.
