Water Heater Maintenance Tips To Extend The Life Of Your System

Whether you own a tankless, gas, or electric heater, these simple maintenance tips will help ensure a long-lasting heater that you can depend on and maintain without the help of a professional.

1. TNP Valve 

Your TNP valve on your heater is a small valve with a shiny handle. This helps prevent an explosion if pressure is built up in the system. From increased water pressure or a temperature spike.



To test this, turn the inlet valve to shut off the hot water, then turn it in the opposite direction until your tank makes a hissing noise. The valve should be set at 120 psi. If the pressure is too high, open the tank faucet slightly to reduce pressure from the relief valve before testing again. 

2. Anode Rod

The Anode rod inside of the tank attracts sediment that would otherwise build up in the system and corrode it. Approximately every 6 months this rod should be checked to ensure it has not corroded. (Side Note: Some newer water heaters do not have an anode rod) 

To check this, it is recommended to have a plumber perform this task since it requires use of an impact gun. Typically these are eliminated if a water filtration system is present. 

3. Drain The Tank!

If you've had little to no hot water, your water smells strange, or your system is making strange noises, these may be signs that your tank needs to be drained. 

Doing this once or twice a year is ideal, depending on the manufacturer. To drain your system:

• First shut off the water via the shutoff valve on the top of the heater. 
• To protect the heating elements, check your fuse box to ensure the breaker serving the heater is switched off**. You'll also need to shut off thegas heaters gas supply for . 
• Let the water cool for a few hours to avoid injury
• Attach a hose to the drain valve and place the other end somewhere you're comfortable allowing the runoff to go, not in grass**
• Turn the hot water on from a nearby fixture to drain the hot water from the system quickly. 
• Open the drain valve to let the water flow out of the tank until it's empty. 
• Turn the water tank back on to flush any remaining sediment. When water from the end of the hose runs, you know draining is complete. 
• Shut off the hot water tap from the nearby fixture
• Turn the heater on again
• Ensure all air is purged from the entire plumbing system BEFORE restoring power to the tank.
• Turn the gas back on to the tank and relight the pilot light if you have an older tank type.

Note: This is also a good opportunity to check the valve. If all of this is too confusing, call us to have it taken care of!

4. Insulate Your Pipes 

Insulating the heaters pipes keeps the heat from being lost, which saves you energy costs and prolongs the life of your heater Foam pipe insulation can be purchased from a hardware store and simply wrap each pipe with it before connecting to the hot water tank.