Preparing Your Water Heater for the Holiday Season
Understanding the demands placed on your water heater during the busy holiday season is key to ensuring its efficiency and longevity. Below is a simple 3 step checklist to ensure your water heater is operating efficiently and safely during the holidays:
1. Check the Pressure Relief Valve
To ensure your water heater operates safely and efficiently during the holiday rush, it’s essential to test the pressure relief valve. This crucial mechanism is the key to releasing excess pressure from the interior of the tank. If overlooked, high pressure can lead to serious problems, including unseen damage to your holding tank. Although rare, it is possible this pressure overload can lead to your tank bursting.
Regular maintenance testing of this valve allows you to identify and address potential issues early on, ensuring your water heater is functioning safely and effectively.
2. Adjust Your Thermostat
As more guests arrive and hot water usage increases, it may be necessary to adjust your water heater thermostat to maintain a consistent temperature. Your thermostat is an adjustable temperature activated switch on your water heater used to keep your water at a specific temperature. A minor adjustment can go a long way in meeting the higher demand for hot water. If you decide to raise the temperature from its current setting, be sure to keep it below 120°F to prevent the risk of scalding. Our skin can only withstand about 10 minutes of exposure to water with a temperature of 120ºF before burning occurs.
With some minor adjustments to your water heaters thermostat, you can make sure that your guests much needed hot showers won’t be affected, as well as all those greasy pans in need of a thorough cleaning before moving them to the dishwasher. Remember, regardless of what your dishwasher detergent claims, we do not recommend putting greasy pans directly in the dishwasher. This can lead to clogged drains, backups, and a very unhappy dishwasher. Additionally, a thermostat adjustment can help prevent overworking your water heater. Don’t let your failed water heater be the talk of the dinner table.
Tip: Don’t forget to revert back to the energy-saving settings on your heater after your guests head back north.
3. Flush Out Your Water Heater
It is inevitable that over time, mineral deposits present in your water can accumulate at the bottom of your water heater. This accumulation can harm efficiency and shorten the appliance’s lifespan. As this sediment builds up, your heater will work harder to maintain temperature, resulting in increased energy costs. If not resolved, it can lead to corrosion and a very unpleasant knocking noise referred to as “water hammer” due to the agitation of the sediment layer.
Flushing your water heater, or hiring our professional team to do so, clears out this sediment, helping your unit operate efficiently and keeping energy costs to a minimum. This maintenance step is crucial for your water heaters health. We know it’s easy, and fun, to get caught up in the holiday spirit. Flushing out your water heater is just one more step to ensuring an unforgettable holiday.
It’s recommended you conduct a thorough inspection of your water heater to the best of your ability. However, we always recommend an expert to perform an inspection to relieve you of that responsibility and potential liability. If you can’t remember the last time you had a service tech come by for a professional inspection, set up an appointment with your plumber to help catch and resolve these issues before they become major holiday headaches.
Get Your Water Heater Ready for the Holidays
As your loved ones make their way into town, ensuring your water heater is in optimal condition provides peace of mind and allows for unforgettable holiday celebrations. Our expert techs at A-1 Affordable Plumbing are ready to assist you with any water heater concerns. From inspections to repairs, tank flushing or even replacing your water heater, A-1 Affordable Plumbing is here for you.
Don’t let preventable maintenance issues disrupt your holiday spirit. Call us today. We do plumbing right, the Affordable way!
