Why It's Important To Flush Your Water Heater Annually
Water heaters are an essential tool in almost every building, and particularly so for commercial buildings such as hotels and apartment blocks. As such, it is important that they are being well-maintained to reduce the chances of them breaking down. After all, we all want to avoid the hassle of having to deal with a broken water heater and having to replace them. As such, it is highly recommended for people to flush their water heater annually, a method that has been known to be highly effective. Read on to find out exactly what flushing your water heater does and why it’s important to do so.
Build-Up of Sediment
If you haven’t been flushing your water heater for years, chances are that sludge and sediment are already present and collecting at the bottom of your water heater tank. While the minerals present in normal water are perfectly safe for consumption, they can also end up settling at the bottom of your water heater and result in a nasty sludge. Apart from being unsightly, this nasty sludge can also cause inconvenience as well as expensive problems.
Potential Problems Arising from Sediment and Sludge
- Less Hot Water
One of the most common reasons why water heaters don’t seem to heat up water as well as they used to is because of this build-up of sediment. With a layer of sediment collected at the bottom of the water heater, it is much harder for the water heater to heat up the water.
- Increase in Energy Bills
Since the water heater now has to work harder to achieve the desired hot temperature, it will inevitably lead to higher energy consumption and more expensive energy bills. Over the long run, this can prove to be extremely costly.
- Water Heater Leaking
In almost every water heater, an inner lining is put in place to protect the tank from rusting. However, the presence of sediment and sludge in your water heater can lead to the water tank overheating, damaging that protective inner lining. As a result, the water heater becomes more susceptible to rust and corrosion which can eventually cause the tank to leak or worst still, burst. Water heaters equipped with technologies such as AquaPLEX® will help to prevent the occurrence of corrosion.
- Water Heater Bursting
In the unfortunate event your water heater ends up bursting, it can lead to having anywhere from 60 to 80 gallons of water spilled all over the area. This water damage can be dangerous and even damage devices lying around the area. In fact, research has shown that on average, water damage results in roughly $4,444 worth of damages.
Solution
The easiest way to prevent sediment and sludge from building up at the bottom of your water heater tank is to flush them annually. To do so, you simply need to open up the drain located at the bottom of your water heater and allow clean water to run through it. Alternatively, buying water heaters that have an in-built circulator pump such as The Brigade will also aid in preventing sediment and sludge from collecting.