Saturday 28 September 2013

Water Heater Leaking Guide

By Brian Winters


Do not let water leaks to affect other areas of your tank. You can avoid this from happening by performing regular water heater maintenance. It can be easy to ignore your heating system since it is placed inside a room that no one really bothers to enter in. To avoid staining your floors and walls, wipe puddles of water near your unit as soon as you notice it. If not, molds and mildew can affect the quality of your air inside your house. This is dangerous as it can cause serious health complications, especially for those who have respiratory problems. Prevent the growth of molds right away to avoid costly mold remediation services. Ask help from a specialist if you are not sure how to stop the leaks immediately.

Water puddles can be a dangerous thing, especially if you have an electric water heater. Always make sure you have a safe environment to work with before carrying out minor repairs. Shut off your circuit breaker or gas supply valve to avoid fatal accidents from happening. You can also close your water supply to prevent flooding your room. Mopping your floor for hours is never a good start.

Avoid scalding yourself by draining your tank before carrying out the repairs. Experts recommend turning off your unit the night before your drain it to prevent scalding incidents. It is helpful to attach a standard hose to the drain valve and place the other end to a floor drain, gutter or large bucket. Doing this helps you inspect the insides of your tank easily.

Water can leak easily every time your T&P valve releases pressure inside your tank. You can stop this from happening by lowering the water temperature immediately. Do not skip this step as too much pressure can cause your tank to overheat or explode.

Test your relief valve to know whether you need to buy a replacement. Lift the lever and expect water to be released from the overflow pipe. Water will stop flowing as soon as you release the valve. Contact a specialist if you think you have to replace your T&P valve immediately. If your valve is soldered on, leave enough pipes for your new T&P replacement valve. To avoid nullifying your unit's warranties, do not plug the valve in since it can also be dangerous for your household.

It is normal for water to leak from loose pipe connections. Fortunately, this is an easy fix since all you have to do is tighten them with a wrench. If you think your pipes are all rusty and badly damaged, replace them as soon as possible to avoid rusting other areas of your tank. Use a Teflon tape and wrap it around the threading to stop leakages at once.

Detecting leaks in the early stage will prevent rust and corrosion to eat your tank. However, unmaintained units will eventually develop holes, causing water to leak excessively. At times like this, do not attempt to repair your tank as doing so will be of no help. Start looking for a replacement water heater to continue having access to hot-water. Some prefer to patch the holes instead of buying a replacement unit. Doing this will affect the efficiency of your unit, causing to produce insufficient hot-water.

Before looking for a replacement water heater, inspect your unit thoroughly and carry out minor repairs if applicable. Sometimes, several issues can be fixed easily if only you detect signs of damage before it's too late. However, if a replacement is badly needed, consult a specialist to give you an advice what kind of unit will suit your hot-water needs. It is wise to look for a new unit right before your old heater breaks down. This will give you more time in researching and selecting the best water heater that will meet your hot-water demands.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment