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Water Heater Repair and Maintenance Articles - Water Heater Problems
These articles discuss water heater problems and what you can do about them.
Covered are gas storage water heaters, and electric storage heaters. Tankless
water heaters are beyond the scope of any of these articles, but there is some
information about installing tankless water heaters and common tankless water
heater problems.
Water heater manufacturers recommend flushing sediment from your storage type water heater periodically. How often your
heater needs flushing depends upon the hardness of the water in your area. Areas
with high mineral content will have to flush more often, especially with
tankless water heaters. This article gives you a step by step guide to
flushing your water heater if you have a sediment problem.
Replacing your old water heater or installing a new water heater is not a difficult job
if you are inclined to tackle it. This article will take you step by
step through the processes of replacing your tank type or storage type gas or electric water heater. Begin heater removal by turning off the gas or
electricity to the water heater, and then drain the tank. If the water heater is
gas, check to make sure the pilot light is out.
The sediment that settles to the bottom of your hot water heater can be sand or other
debris from your well or the water mains, or it can be minerals, like calcium carbonate, that precipitate out of the water at higher temperatures. Occasionally
the water company may
flush sediment from their mains by opening up a fire
hydrant full blast for a while. If you use your hot water while
the sediment is flowing by your home you will end up with some of that
sediment too.
Gas water heater trouble shooting guide with advice about pilot lights, dip
tubes, slow recovery, TPR valves, sediment and more. Do not attempt to trouble shoot or repair your
water heater unless you are a qualified technician.
This gas water heater trouble shooting guide assumes that the water heater was properly installed and was
operating correctly before any problems developed. This guide is not meant to be a comprehensive trouble shooting document, just a general guide to
common water heating problems.
Before trouble shooting your gas
water heater check for the odor of gas. If you smell gas call your
gas supplier immediately and have them check for leaks.
Electric hot water heater trouble shooting and repair guide covering thermostats, TPR valves, dip tubes
sediment buildup, test heating elements, and more. This guide assumes that the hot water heaters were properly installed and were
operating correctly before any problems developed.
Most electric hot water heaters have two
thermostats, one near the top of the tank and one near the bottom, and are
covered by removable metal cover plates. The thermostats are pressed
firmly against the bare metal wall of the hot water heaters tank.
Common tankless water heater problems are often due to improper installation.
Tankless
hot water heaters require a lot more care during the installation. Improper
installation can in many cases invalidate the warranty on the heat exchanger.
Most manufacturers require that the heaters be installed by factory trained service
people. The most common installation problems result from things like too small
a gas line, improper venting and poor or non-existent condensate drainage. The
problems often do not show up until years later.
There are a number of
things that affect the time required to get hot water from your water heater to your fixtures. Obviously the
pipe length from the water heater to the fixtures is a factor as is what kind of
pipe is used, ambient temperatures, pipe diameter, insulation, main pressure and
more. If you have a tankless heater it will typically take 10 to 20
seconds longer than with a tank type water heater.
Gas water heaters get the tank up to temperature about twice as fast as
electrics heaters, and costs about half as much to produce the same amount of hot water.
Even though gas heaters are less efficient than electric heaters the electricity
is almost three times as expensive as gas. The article covers such things as TPR
valves, dip tubes, sediment, noises, odors, and more.
Topics covered in this article include TPR valves, the testing of heating elements, dip tube, Anodes
rods, High Limit switches, Upper and Lower Thermostats, Circuit Breaker, drain valve and tank.
Electric water heaters have a TPR valve (Temperature Pressure Relief) or T&P valve, which is a safety device that releases pressure if the pressure or the temperature reach an unsafe level. All
tank type units must have a TPR valve, otherwise they could blow up.
There is a manual release lever located on the valve. According to most water heater manufacturers, TPR valves should be periodically tested by lifting the manual release lever at least once a year.
It's not unusual to trace problems with tankless water heaters back to an improper installation. Unlike standard tank type water heaters, tankless
heaters need more care during the installation. A poor
installation will in often invalidate the warranty. To validate the
warranty many tankless manufacturers require that the units be installed by
factory trained service people.
Supercharge your water heater ...get your hot water fast!
Chilipepper Hot water Pump
Chilipepper
Sales 1380 Greg St., # 221 Sparks Nevada, 89431
PH (775)-359-1223 |
