Did you know that a typical family uses about 400 gallons of water in a day? It’s safe to assume that many people don’t realize the importance of draining their water heater at regular intervals. If not, then they are risking having an accident in their home due to high-pressure steam releasing from the pipes when the temperature is too high. In this blog post, we will discuss 4 alarming signs when you need to question yourself “is it too late to drain your water heater?“
A water heater is a crucial appliance for any home. Where most of us enjoy the warmth it gives to our water, it has its cold repercussions, too, if you don’t drain your water heater on time.
Let’s get deeper into when you need to worry about draining your water heater. Stay tuned!
Do We Really Need To Care About Draining Our Water Heaters Regularly?
At first, I did not care about draining at all. But soon, I realized by reading the cons of not maintaining proper cleanliness. This is why I’m here to share with you. Don’t take it lightly as most of us do.
Not only me, but The Family Handyman also forced his readers to drain water heaters at least once in a year.
Discussed below are some cases where people find out they are too late to drain their water heater. They ultimately needed to call a plumber when the situation got worst.
Keeping an eye on the following sign can help you maintain your water heater at home instead of calling a plumber in an emergency.
Is Your Water As Hot As It Should Be?
This must definitely be the first alarm that you get from your water heater. It is when it’s demanding draining.
Take note of the performance of your water heater. The results speak for themselves. It is too late to drain my water heater when the water is lukewarm? In a word, yes!
Lukewarm water results from lime buildup. If lime accumulates around the heating element, it can reduce performance.
The question arises here is, what should we do if we detect this problem?
This first sign can be handled easily. Drain the tank, and you’re good to go. Clean it with vinegar and lime descaler. It will break the lime itself within half an hour.
In the final step, flush your tank so that it can properly drain. You may still find some lime in the tank afterward. Heavy clogging may leave this residue behind. You should repeat this procedure several times for the best results.
Do You Notice Sludge In Your Water?
It is the next alarming sign for you to question yourself if your water heater is at risk.
Sludge is a mineral deposit that is formed due to the accumulation of sediments and other minerals over time. It is one of the biggest problems with hard water, which you are most likely experiencing on a daily basis in case your home has a water heater.
This is a serious problem that is caused due to the presence of heavy metals and minerals in your drinking water.
Water that contains sludge is likely to have been contaminated by flooded storm drains, backed-up sewer lines, or other contaminants infiltrating your groundwater. Again, for seeing sludge, you must get to know yourself, “is it too late to drain my water heater?”
Definitely, it is!
To your knowledge, I must add here that if sludge gets into your water tank for once, it is going nowhere. It will remain down at the bottom of your hot tank, risking your health.
The only way possible to get rid of sludge is to drain your tank. You need to wash it urgently!
Is There A Sound Of Water Boiling Inside The Tank?
“Is it too late to drain my water heater?” is not just a question in this case. Rather, this sound is very alarming; you are in danger!
You need to separate the power supply to your water heater immediately!
You are not risking your health but your life. And not only yours, but your whole family is at risk! Hearing this sound means your tank can burst at any time.
Do you know why this sound is life-threatening? Let me tell you.
As steam builds up in the hot water tank, the pressure relief valve lets it out. In the event of a blocked valve, the steam is trapped inside. Now your water heater starts getting hotter and hotter.
Eventually, your heater will explode!
Shut down the power supply and call a plumber. You can’t fix it yourself.
You Have Not Drained Your Water Heater For More Than 1 Year
One of the very common reasons is that we tend to forget about it. This is not a good idea since neglecting this task can lead you to some serious risks and accidents in your home.
If there is no use of draining, then what is?
The fact is simple: regular draining prevents scaling, rust formation inside your tank, cleans the heating element, and as a result, it is helpful for improving your water heater’s efficiency.
All you have to do is just turn off the supply valve that connects your home to the city or municipal water supply system. Then open all hot-water taps in every fixture inside your house till the tank is empty. Close them once done!
It is commonly recommended to drain your water heater once every year.
EndNote
By now, you are familiar with the important facts about why it is necessary to drain your water heater.
You also know how much time is required for draining and what you will need in order to do that task yourself or who can be the right person for the job. Some of us may have different reasons not to drain our hot-water tank.
I guess we all have some kind of reluctance in our minds when it is time to drain the tank, and that is why we do not want to go for this task.
I hope my blog post will help you out more than ever before if you want to get rid of your reluctance once and for all!