Residential & commercial water heater maintenance tips
Your customers have at least one thing in common: They don’t want their water heater to break down. As a trade professional, you’re likely aware of the facts about how to maintain a water heater and prevent system failures, including that:
Regular maintenance can preserve water heater efficiency and extend lifespan as long as it’s performed routinely from the time of installation.
Flushing the tank of a poorly maintained old water heater can do more harm than good.
These facts present an opportunity for plumbers, HVAC specialists and commercial contractors. You can grow your business by selling annual or bi-annual service contracts to your customers when you install a new residential or commercial tank water heater.
By explaining to your customers that investing in water heater preventive maintenance can save them from the headache and expense of a breakdown, you’ll be providing them a value-added service that can boost your bottom line. Explore maintenance tips on how to extend the life of water heaters to better serve your customers and build steady business.
Water heater maintenance tips
Preventive maintenance on a hot water heater should be completed once a year at a minimum, while twice a year is good practice. If your customer is in an area with hard water, recommend more frequent checks to extend the water heater’s lifespan, as extra minerals may build up at the bottom of the tank.
Over time, minerals wear out the components, causing damage that can’t be reversed by a sediment flush. This is why water heater preventive maintenance should start in the first year of installation.
Annual preventive water heater maintenance checklist
For annual water heater maintenance visits, first double-check that your customer hasn’t noticed any signs of failure, such as cold or discolored water, knocking sounds or poor water pressure. Then, follow these quick steps before cleaning sediment from a water heater or flushing bacteria.
Shut off power or gas. Turn off the breaker on electric water heaters or shut off the gas supply on gas units before starting any maintenance.
Perform an initial inspection. Check the unit’s components for any apparent signs of wear and tear, including leaks, rust and corrosion.
Pro tip: Because gas-fired water heaters have significantly more parts compared to electric models, the amount of time required to service gas-fired units can also be greater. Be sure to build this difference in labor into your service agreements.
Check the expansion tank. If you did not install the unit, make sure the water heater is equipped with an expansion tank. If it does have an expansion tank, test the tank to make sure it’s appropriately pressured.
Once these primary steps are complete, you’ll be ready to clean and flush the water heater tank. As mentioned above, you should only flush well-maintained water heaters. As long as the water heater is newly installed or has been serviced regularly, you can flush the tank of both sediment and bacteria.
How to perform a sediment flush
Follow these steps to flush sediment from a water heater, whether gas or electric.
SAFETY FIRST: Turn off the breaker on electric units or shut off the gas supply on gas units before starting any maintenance.
Shut off incoming water.
Open the hot water valve on a faucet to break the vacuum.
Use a transfer pump and a hose to drain the water heater to a floor drain or directly outside.
Pro tip: If the anodes are accessible, this is a good time to remove them and inspect or replace.
Once the water heater is drained, open the incoming water supply and begin the flush. As the water comes in, it will stir the sediment and break it up. This will need to be done several times until you see the water begin to clear.
Pro tip: If the hose bibb becomes clogged, you may need to remove it and add an open port ball valve to allow more flow.
After a successful flush, refill the unit and restart per manufacturer recommendations.
How to perform a bacteria flush
A bacteria flush can help reset the tank after bad smells or other buildup. Flushing bacteria as part of residential or commercial water heater maintenance takes just a few extra steps.
SAFETY FIRST: Turn off the breaker on electric units or shut off the gas supply on gas units before starting any maintenance.
Shut off incoming water.
Open the hot water valve on a faucet to break the vacuum.
Use a transfer pump and a hose to drain the water heater to a floor drain or directly outside.
Remove the anode rod, and close the drain valve.
At the anode opening, add one gallon of bleach for every 25 gallons of tank capacity.
Replace the anode rod and fill the tank. Once filled, open all hot water fixtures, including running dishwashers and washing machines. All hot water lines must receive treatment. Once chlorine is detected at all fixtures, leave the system undisturbed for one hour.
Once the allotted time has passed, drain the tank again.
After draining, close the drain valve, refill the tank and allow the tank to sit for 15 minutes.
Repeat the draining process after 15 minutes, opening all fixtures to flush the chlorine from the system. Continue until you can no longer detect a chlorine smell at any fixture.
After a successful flush, refill the unit and restart per manufacturer recommendations.
Ferguson can help with water heater preventive maintenance
Your checklist for how to maintain a hot water heater can help demonstrate the value of your services to your satisfied customers. Ferguson has all of the water heater maintenance equipment you need to help your customers extend the life of their hot water heater.
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