What's Inside Your Water Heater from John Finan on Vimeo.

Your water heater is one of the hardest working appliances in your home. It works all day, every day to keep water hot for your entire home. Life without your water heater would be pretty cold. Let’s have a look inside.

Your water heater is a storage tank for hot water. When hot water is used, it’s replaced by cold water. A heating element heats the water and its stored and ready for the next time. This continual flow of water and the continual heating and re-heating takes a toll. After years of use, rust and sediment build up inside the tank. Rust and sediment would normally corrode the metal lining of the water heater. However, your water has a built-in safety device called an anode rod, sometimes called a sacrificial anode rod. It corrodes, protecting the metal lining of your water heater. But eventually the anode rod dissolves. Loss of the anode rod means the inside of your water heater will begin to corrode, seriously reducing its life.

How do you know if your water heater might be starting to break down? It gives off some obvious signs which include the water heater isn’t heating enough hot water, there’s no hot water at all, water drips or leaks on the floor around the water heater, or you hear a crackling noise when it’s heating. According to manufacturers, the average service life of a water heater is about eight to 12 years. Annual flushing of your water heater can help reduce the effects of sediment and rust buildup and extend its life. If you have questions about your water heater or would like help flushing your water heater give us a call. We’ll be happy to help you out.

This post was written by John Finan

September 30, 2017