Summary

– Maintenance of electric water heaters: no special obligation

– Gas water heater maintenance: mandatory every year

– Solar water heating: a spring maintenance

Keeping your water heater in good working order is the assurance of good use of your appliance and savings on your energy bill.

A water heater requires little maintenance, but it is important to know how to drain and descale the water heater.

A breakdown does not always require the intervention of a plumber or heating engineer. You can do it yourself:

– clean and change the thermocouple,

– replace a water heater heater heater resistor,

– change the water heater anode and the safety group.

Maintenance electric water heater: no special obligation

Annual maintenance by a heating engineer is not mandatory for an electric water heater.

Turn off the following elements on your water heater before starting any repairs:

– the water shut-off valve,

– the gas valve,

– electricity.

You do not need to sign a maintenance contract or have your electric water heater serviced annually.

Here’s how to maintain your electric water heater:

Once a year:

– Check the anode and change it if necessary.

– Check the resistance and change it if necessary (submerged resistance).

– If you change the resistor/anode, descale the tank if necessary.

– Activate the automatic switch-off function once a month.

– Empty the system every 2 to 3 years.

– Change the automatic switch-off every 5 years.

Maintenance of gas water heaters: mandatory every year

Annual maintenance by a heating engineer is mandatory for a gas water heater.

Before doing any work on your gas water heater, turn off:

– the water shut-off valve,

– the gas valve,

– electricity.

For a gas water heater, it is necessary to take out a maintenance contract or have an annual visit by a heating engineer/plumber.

The visit is compulsory whether you are the owner or tenant of your dwelling.

Here is how to maintain your gas water heater:

Once a year:

– Clean the injector by blowing into it.

– Clean the pilot light and its filter.

– Replace the water inlet valve and gasket.

– Clean the fins of the heater with a soft wire brush.

– The burner nozzles are cleaned with water.

– Descale the heater.

Solar water heater: maintenance in spring

For the solar water heater, a maintenance visit is recommended approximately every 4 to 5 years.

Once a year, in the spring, clean your solar collectors with water.

Also check:

– that the vegetation does not interfere with your water heater installation,

– the pressure of the heat transfer fluid,

– the proper functioning of the pumps,

– the good condition of the hydraulic system insulation.

Attention: Do not disregard small leaks!

At times, there may also be small leaks. When it’s just a simple leak, a defective boiler may seem like a minor problem, but if left unattended, you may face a catastrophic event!

If you wish to find a professional to install your water heater, you can contact  Marlin Plumbing Of Miami in South Florida. They will draw up a specific quote for your request, and, on their website, you can read they are taking extra steps to combat the spread of COVID-19. They say the CDC guidelines are currently being strictly adhered to and their plumbers will sanitize their hands before undertaking any repairs at your place. 

Hope this post helps you out. Should you wish to read on something more specific, please do not hesitate to jot down your request below, and do not forget to share your experience with our readers.

How to Maintain Your Water Heater

4 thoughts on “How to Maintain Your Water Heater

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  • 07/27/2021 at 16:05
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    My uncle, who recently moved to the countryside, is looking for suggestions on heating his bathwater every morning. I like your suggestion to get an electric water heater because you don’t need to regularly maintain it. We should probably consult a plumber that can install these around his property!

    Reply
  • 08/30/2022 at 16:46
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    Thanks for the reminder that the electrical components should also be inspected regularly when planning maintain a commercial water heater. I can see how that will be crucial for running a business that revolves around providing accommodations. I think my sister will be interested in that because she wants to open her own hotel in the future.

    Reply
  • 12/24/2022 at 09:25
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    These are really valuable tips and a reminder to get water heater maintenance done is very appropriate. By the way, you mentioned correctly, the need to conclude a maintenance contract or an annual visit of a heating engineer / plumber, it is very important for control.

    Reply

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