Be Proactive About Water Heater Maintenance — Before Cold Weather Arrives

According to the Department of Energy, a water heater typically lasts between 10 and 15 years. The exact estimate depends on the type of system and specific manufacturer, and it assumes proper care and upkeep.

Preventative maintenance on a hot water heater is vital to meeting warranty and lifetime expectations. Discover the preventive measures you can implement to protect your system and reduce the risks of premature hot water failure in your building.

7 Tips for Preventative Maintenance on a Hot Water Heater

1. Execute Casual and Professional Inspections

Water heaters require regular inspections, including casual or visual inspections every month or two. A building super or maintenance team can perform casual inspections, looking for obvious signs of damage, such as leaks, corrosion, rust, or burst pipes. However, building staff shouldn’t touch or attempt appliance repairs — doing so risks injury to the person and property.

Once yearly, a professional should inspect building water heaters. The annual inspection is a more thorough examination of all components, ensuring everything is functional and in good condition.

Contact a professional if a problem arises during casual inspections or between annual assessments. Calray Boilers can help with emergency and scheduled repairs.

2. Flush the Tank Annually

A water heater brings cold water into a property, heats it, and pushes the hot water throughout the building. When the appliance allows cold water in, it can collect sediment deposits from the supply that settle on the tank bottom. The sediment creates an insulating layer that inhibits the heating function of the tank and may also cause blockages.

A system flush is necessary for preventative maintenance on a water heater. Flushing the system helps remove excess sediment buildup, improving the heater’s efficiency and life expectancy. Professionals should perform a flush annually to limit the risks of buildup and blockages.

3. Reduce the Temperature Setting

Most manufacturers set the temperature setting of their water heaters to 140° F right out of the box. The preset temperature is often too high for most residential properties. To limit the risk of scalding, a property owner should ensure the water heater temperature setting is 120° F. If you worry this setting is not hot enough, consult a professional for a proper property assessment.

Still, you should think twice about increasing the temperature to more than 120° F for the sake of your water heater. Higher temperatures can increase sediment accumulation, especially in hard water systems, and may reduce the heater’s service life. Also, higher temperatures may result in excessive heat loss on standby.

4. Regularly Test the Temperature Pressure Relief Valve

A temperature pressure relief valve is a safety feature and device on hot water appliances, such as boilers and water heaters. The TPR valve automatically releases water if the temperature or pressure in the tank exceeds safe preset levels.

As a part of preventative maintenance on a hot water heater, property owners should schedule testing of the TPR valve at least once every six months. Corrosion, debris, rust, or temperature fluctuations can damage the valve and cause it to fail.

Testing the valve is simple: You open the valve to allow water to come out. It works if water comes out when you open the valve and stops when you close it. The valve requires replacement if no water comes out or it pours out. Because of the risk of scalding and injury, leave TPR valve assessments to the professionals.

5. Replace Water Heater Filters

Scale and sediment are the enemies of your property’s water heater. A filter is a device that retains hardness minerals to prevent excess sediment and problems within the tank. Most filters are not permanent and require replacement annually. If your system uses a scale-net or TAC product, the device can last up to five years, depending on the appliance and its operational output.

Filter placement is on the cold water line, typically in a special housing. Because of its placement and the system’s sensitivity, it is best to leave filter replacements to professionals like those working for Calray Boilers.

6. Replace the Anode Rod

Another element of preventative maintenance on a water heater is the replacement of the anode rod every four to five years. This tool attracts sediment and corrosive substances away from the tank. Corrosion still occurs but is focused on the rod, not the tank.

If an anode rod goes bad, it cannot remove corrosives and sediment effectively, leaving the tank susceptible to damage. Signs of a bad anode rod include:

  • – Air in the lines
  • – Discolored water
  • – Intermittent hot water
  • – Odors, such as a rotten egg smell

Like most water heater maintenance activities, leaving the anode rod replacement to professionals is best. While the replacement may seem straightforward, many things can go wrong.

7. Insulate the Tank and Pipes

Heat loss is one of the primary issues of owning a hot water tank. Most heat loss occurs in standby mode when hot water isn’t flowing through the system. Insulating the tank and pipes can reduce heat loss and prevent the system from overworking.

The DOE suggests that water heater insulation can reduce standby heat losses by up to 45% and reduce water heating costs by up to 16%. While DIY insulation is straightforward, you want to ensure you purchase appropriate products. Also, talk to a professional to ensure heat loss isn’t the result of other underlying problems.

Keeping Up With Preventative Maintenance on a Hot Water Heater

Sign an Annual Service Contract With Calray Boilers

Preventative maintenance on a hot water heater is essential to ensure the projected lifespan of 10 to 15 years. By keeping up with these seven points, you can reduce system failure risks and improve the heater’s efficiency.

Contact Calray Boilers at 212-722-5506 to discuss annual service contracts and preventative maintenance schedules. With a service contract, we prioritize your building and ensure your boiler and water heater receive all essential services, cleanings, and inspections.


Our Privacy Policy

Omnia Mechanical Group(the “Company”) strives to ensure the highest standards for property listings and customer information privacy. Please review the following statement to learn about our company practices and policies. Please be aware that our Privacy Policy is subject to change at any time.

1. Purpose.

This Privacy Policy (“the Policy”) provides information on how the Company uses your personal information. By agreeing to the Policy, you agree to our collection and use of your personal information as described in the Policy. This Privacy Policy is effective for all new users of Sanitaryplumbing.com.

2. Personal Information.

You can browse some areas of omniagroup.nyc (“the Website”) without being a registered user. However, certain activities do require registration. (You consent to the transfer and storage of your information by registering with omniagroup.nyc).

3. Use of Information.

Our primary purpose in collecting personal information is to provide you with a safe and user-friendly experience. For example, the Company may use your personal information to:

  • Improve our services and the Website’s content and layout;
  • Provide the services and necessary customer support you request;
  • Resolve disputes, collect fees, and troubleshoot problems;
  • Track and record customer satisfaction with our services;
  • Protect the Company against error and fraud;
  • Inform you of special promotions and announcements;
  • Enforce our agreements, terms, conditions, and policies; and
  • As otherwise described to you at the time of collection.

We may occasionally ask you to complete optional surveys. These surveys are used to improve and customize your experience with Sanitaryplumbing.com.

The Company always provides you the ability to opt-out of further communication such as promotions and surveys; see the Opt-Out section below.

The Company does not share any of your personal information with outside organizations, companies, individuals, etc. The only exception to this standard is if such a disclosure is reasonably necessary to respond to any and all legal processes.

4. Links to Other Sites.

The Website may have links to other websites that may collect personally identifiable information about you. The Company is not responsible for the privacy practices of the content of those linked websites.

5. Safety & Security Precautions.

The Website has strict security measures in place to protect you and your information from fraud. Once your information is provided to Omnia Mechanical Group, we strive to ensure the confidentiality of your identity and information.

6. Opt-Out.

The Company provides you with the opportunity to opt-out of receiving promotional and other non-essential, marketing-related communications from Omnia Mechanical Group. If you would like to opt-out of these select communications, please see any of the Company’s email communications and follow the directions indicated.

7. Account Protection.

Your password ensures the security of your account. When choosing a password, the Company suggests using various characters. It is highly recommended that you do not disclose your Sanitaryplumbing.com password to anyone. (If you do disclose your password or your personal information with others, you are responsible for all actions taken in the name of your account.) If the security of your password is compromised for any reason, please contact the Company immediately.

8. Accuracy of Information

The Company does not guarantee the accuracy of information for any and all of its properties on the Website, and is not responsible for any errors or misrepresentations (made by Renters, the Client, or otherwise).

9. Cookies

The Company may place a small cookie on your computer’s hard drive. This allows us to personalize your use on the Website. In order to maximize the functionality and usability of the Website, you must set your browser’s preferences to allow both permanent and temporary cookies.

10. Changing Your Personal Information.

Should your personal information change, please immediately update your information on the Website. This will ensure the accuracy of our records. The Company does retain personal information from closed accounts in order to comply with law and collect and disburse any fees owed.

11. Third Parties

This Privacy Policy addresses only the use of information we collect from you. Since omniagroup.nyc does not control the privacy policies of third parties, you are subject to the privacy policies of those third parties. It is advisable that you consult with the management of third parties before you disclose your personal information to others.

12. General

We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time by posting the amended terms on the Website. All amended terms are immediately effective after they are initially posted on the Website.

13. Privacy Policy Questions & Concerns

Questions and/or concerns regarding the Policy should be emailed to the following email address: info@omniagroup.nyc.