Imagine getting up on a lazy Sunday morning to enjoy a warm shower, only to be shocked with freezing cold water! The shampoo’s still in your hair and it’s cold outside. Worst nightmare right?!
This is just one reason why your hot water system is one of the most important parts of your home. Yet, surprisingly, it still seems to fall right to the bottom of our priority list. So to prevent an ice cold shower in the middle of winter here are 3 easy steps you can take to maintain and extend the life of your hot water system.
Check these 3 key components of your hot water system:
Your hot water system can be a mysterious thing, meaning it can be hard to know what to check. So I’ve narrowed down the 3 most important components of your hot water system which should be checked by a professional at least once a year.
Pressure Reducing Valve: this is designed to regulate the pressure on the inlet side of your hot water system. If the pressure fluctuates too much, it can cause unnecessary pressure on the lining of your tank.
Temperature Pressure Relief Valve (Or TPR Valve): are used as a secondary safety measure. The primary purpose of the TPR Valve is to release any excess internal pressure within the tank. So, if you notice the pressures fluctuating then give your friendly Melbourne plumber a call.
TPR Valves work by automatically ‘venting’ hot water if the temperature or pressure is too high. It’s there to prevent your hot water system from spitting and exploding. TPR Valves should be changed once every 2 years.
NOTE: faulty or broken TPR Vales have been known to explode. That’s why it’s of the upmost importance to get it checked by a professional.
Sacrificial Anode: Sounds weird right? Well a sacrificial anode is a metal rod, normally made from aluminum or magnesium and coated in zinc, which hangs down inside the tank. It’s designed to attract minerals and impurities which would otherwise react with the hot water system and cause corrosion and rust).
The sacrificial node, essentially erodes and breaks down over time. Sacrificing itself for the greater good of the tank!
Depending on the quality of the water in your area, it is recommended that you should replace the sacrificial node every 3-5 years (every hot water system and home is different so this may vary. By checking with a professional you can extend the life of your hot water system)
NOTE: Not replacing your sacrificial anode is the single biggest cause of hot water system failure
Watch out for these signs!
Prevention is always better than a cure. That’s why it’s important for you to keep an eye out for the following signs and get in touch with your local Melbourne plumber before it’s too late.
Keep your eye out for these signs:
- Rusty or brown coloured water
- Sediment or other ‘floaty’ bits in your water
- Loud banging noises from your pipes
- The hot water doesn’t seem to last as long as it used to
- The water pressure isn’t as strong as it used to be
- Leaks and dripping taps
- When the hot water comes on it smells odd
Remember it’s far easier and cheaper for you to fix the problem early on, rather than to replace the hot water system.
Regular maintenance of your hot water system
It’s recommended your hot water system gets serviced by a professional every 3 years. By doing this, you can double or even triple the life of your system. This can help save you money, time and stress.
Your Melbourne plumber will be able to identify any minor issues before they become a major problem.
Stay warm this winter with a well maintained hot water system
No one needs a cold shower in the middle of winter, so to prevent hot water system failure make sure you check the 3 main components of your system, keep your eye out for signs of failure and get it serviced at least every 3 years.
Over to you, what are your main concerns around your hot water system?
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