With plumbing, you should never wait until it makes a big splash. You should be proactive and take the necessary care right from day one to avoid unexpected problems. Otherwise, you will be inundated with vexing plumbing issues and expensive bills.
Among all the areas of plumbing, water heaters are one of the most important. If it comes to a head, your plumber in Caroline Springs will take care of it. However, you can try to mitigate those issues with some preventive measures and quick solutions.
What are some common water heater problems, how to solve them, and what are some preventive measures?
We will discuss all these three areas in this blog post.
Common Problems, Their Causes, and Solutions
To mitigate a problem, you must first learn the cause of it. The root of a problem tells you the solution as well as the prevention.
Here are some common water heater problems and their causes.
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Temperature Troubles
There’s no household in Australia that hasn’t faced this problem. A water heater is most prone to temperature fluctuations, and it can be dangerous. Water can run scalding hot or cold, or lukewarm.
Each of these is the result of a different fault. Your water heater can run cold water due to a lack of electricity, a faulty heating element, or a defective thermostat. If the water is not hot enough, you must also confirm that the cold and hot connections aren’t crossed.
Keeping all these reasons in mind, you need to run several checks and deduce the reason for your water heater acting up. First, reset tripped circuit breakers and eliminate the cause of power. Then check the thermostat and confirm it’s not causing the problem.
Now turn off the water supply and turn on the hot water faucet. If the water flows, you could have a cross-connection.
Like this, cancel out one by one and find the cause. Beyond this, we suggest you call your plumber to thoroughly check and clean your water heater.
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Discoloured Water
Sometimes, you will notice your water heater running coloured (rusty) water. The cause of it is the corrosion inside the tank, which is often a result of a failed anode rod. If so, you may need to replace the anode rod.
Don’t try doing it yourself, as this is the job for a professional plumber in Melbourne. But sometimes, a new anode rod can’t fix the problem; then, you need to get a new water heater.
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Strange Noises
Plumbing equipment makes noises sometimes, such as gurgling sounds. These noises are often the signals of a bigger problem. Hence, it is better not to overlook those noises.
One cause of these noises coming from a water heater is sediment buildup. Flushing the water heater should normally fix the sound problem. If it doesn’t, you may need a water heater replacement, so call a 24/7 emergency plumbing service.
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Leaking Heaters
Be it pipes, faucets, or water heaters, leakages are one issue we should expect sooner or later. Several factors may result in these leaks: overheating, improper water pressure, a faulty relief valve, a bad gasket, and loose heating element bolts.
You need to also check for any loose plumbing connections and if there are any, tighten them up to reduce the leak. But be careful not to overtighten.
Finally, it is also important to check the heating element bolts to see if they are tight enough. If the leak persists, you probably need the gasket replaced. For this, you must have a professional hired.
All these tank leak issues can be avoided by swapping to a tankless water heater. It is durable as well as space-saving.
Prevention
To avoid problems, you need routine maintenance for your water heater. If it lacks care but is used day in and day out, the appliance is bound to cause problems. Isn’t it?
Therefore, let’s learn how to care for your water heaters regularly.
- Eliminate calcium and other hard water deposits. The water heater tank may get clogged with calcium and other hard water-related minerals. This scaling might result in less water in the tank and water that tastes odd or has an unpleasant tint. The mineral scale may be eliminated by draining out the tank once a year or every six months.
- If you intend to be away from home for more than three days, turn off the water heater or lower the thermostat.
- Get some self-sticking foam pipe insulation with a diameter that matches the pipes. Slide the foam across the hot and cold water pipes as far as you can. Condensation in the summer may be avoided by insulating the cold water line.
- Lastly, book a routine plumbing or water heater maintenance with a professional plumber. Their expertise will be a great help in ensuring a healthy plumbing system. This can improve energy efficiency and safety at home.
Final Say
Now you know everything about water heaters and their problems. Every appliance will face some issues eventually, but poor maintenance will make them occur more often. Hence, routine plumbing maintenance is highly recommended.
If you can’t make so much time, you can choose a good plumbing company Caroline Springs for regular checkups. If you are looking for one such provider, you have to take a look at NLK plumbing. It houses all kinds of plumbing experts, from residential to commercial plumbers.
We hope these insights help you keep your water heaters in good working condition. If you have any more follow-up questions, you can comment them.
