Easy Ways You Can Keep Your Hot Water Cylinder Well-Maintained
Hot water cylinders are essential to any modern home, whether you live in West Auckland or another part of New Zealand. We use our hot water heaters every day, even if we don’t realise how impactful they are on our daily lives.
Like any other fixture or helpful appliance, hot water heaters can break down if they’re neglected. Broken hot water heaters don’t heat water, and no hot water means frustration and stress for you and your family.
No worries, you can keep your hot water cylinder in good condition through regular maintenance. The maintenance tips listed in this article can easily be done by most average homeowners. However, you should know that it’s okay to call a professional for help if you’re unable to or uncomfortable with any of these tasks.
Easy Ways You Can Keep Your Hot Water Cylinder Well-Maintained
Every West Auckland homeowner should know how to keep their hot water cylinders in good condition. A few common maintenance tasks you can do yourself are:
Flush Your Hot Water Cylinder Every Six Months To A Year. This can be done yourself, or you can hire a plumber to do it for you.
Flushing out a hot water cylinder involves turning off the power and water supply to a cylinder and then draining out the water. Cylinders can accumulate sediment buildup over time, and too much sediment can cause problems if left for too long.
Keep draining and refilling your tank until the water that comes out is completely free of sediment.
How often you’ll need to do this will depend on a few factors. If your water is particularly rich in minerals, it means that more sediment can build up, so you should flush it more often.
Check The Anode Rod Every Year. The anode rod is an important part of hot water cylinders in West Auckland. It’s a sacrificial metal rod that helps to protect your hot water cylinder from corrosion. If the anode rod in your system is corroded, it will need to be replaced.
To check your anode rod, you will need to turn off the power to the cylinder and drain the water. Then, you can remove the rod and inspect it for signs of corrosion.
Insulate Your Hot Water Cylinder. Hot water systems that aren’t insulated can lose heat as the water travels, which means that your system will need to work harder to heat your water to the right temperature. This wastes energy and increases your energy bills!
Fortunately, insulating your hot water cylinder is rather easy. You can search your local West Auckland stores for insulation blankets that are specifically meant for hot water cylinders. Remember to measure your cylinder and the blanket before you attach it so that you can trim it if needed.
Have Your Hot Water Cylinder Serviced At Least Once A Year By A Qualified Technician. This is the most important tip, as trained professionals have the experience and knowledge they need to keep your hot water system in the best condition possible.
Please note that annual servicing is important even if your hot water cylinder seems to be fine. Your helpful technician can inspect your water heater and spot any potential issues that you haven’t noticed. Then, they can fix them and prevent frustrating problems in the future.
If you have trouble with any of the other tips on this list, then you can ask them for help.
How To Know If Your Hot Water System Needs Servicing
If you notice any issues with your hot water system, you should take proper action to resolve them before they worsen. This is crucial even if your system was recently maintained or seen by a professional.
Hot water cylinders experiencing these issues should be seen by a West Auckland professional:
- Leaks. Leaking means that water is being wasted, which isn’t good for your home or your bills. Try to fix leaks as soon as you find them to prevent more wasted water.
- Discoloured Water. Does your water have a strange tint to it? Reddish or brownish water could be a sign that there’s rust in your system or sediment in your tank. This isn’t good, so you should try to resolve the problem quickly so you can all resume using your water.
- Smelly Water. Even if your water looks fine, does it smell or taste bad? This could be a sign of an underlying issue with your system. Stop using the water and call your hot water technician.
- Strange Noises. Sediment buildup, or other issues, can cause hot water systems to make odd noises. Banging, popping, rumbling or any other unorthodox noises should be addressed and fixed before the problem causing the noises gets worse.
Why Hot Water Cylinder Maintenance Is Important
There are so many obvious reasons why routine maintenance is important for hot water cylinders in West Auckland and all over the world, including:
- It Keeps Your Cylinder In Good Condition. Regular maintenance, even if there are no present issues with your system, can stop problems from arising in the future.
- It Prevents Disruptions To Your Household. How frustrating would it be to hop in the shower after a long day only to discover that your hot water system isn’t working? Sudden hot water issues are frustrating, stressful and extremely inconvenient. Maintaining your system while you can reduce the chances of this happening.
- It Protects your Investment. Hot water cylinders aren’t the cheapest thing in the world, but they’re an important part of your West Auckland home. So, keeping them in good condition will extend your system’s lifespan. This can save you money in the future on repairs and replacements.
Need Some Help? Call Us Today For Hot Water System Products And Services
Hot Water Solutions is your go-to source for reliable hot water services in New Zealand. We’re here and ready to keep your system in great condition!
Or, if you’re ready for a new hot water cylinder, then you can check out our online store to see what kind of deals we have.
Would you like some assistance? You can call our team on 0800 497658 if you’d like to know more about what we can do for you.
Keep your home warm and happy with Hot Water Solutions!
