Water heater issues sometimes can be intimidating, more so to first time users. However, detecting a malfunctioning water heater is easy. It will take longer than usual to heat water or quickly run out of hot water. In extreme cases, it won’t deliver any hot water to the showers and taps. Such signs should raise a red flag for you to take action. Here are some of the simple water heater fixes that you can handle yourself.
1. Fixing a defective heating element
With time, heating elements do wear out and become inefficient. Depending on how bad the damage is, you might or might not need to hire water heating repair services in Salt Lake City, such as All Hours Plumbing and HVAC. Just start by turning off the power supply. Also, the hot water tank must be empty. To do this, you will need to turn off the cold-water supply pipe and drain all the hot water in the tank. Check to ensure you only remove damaged elements. If you find them all in perfect shape, the problem could be an electrical one or a damaged thermostat.
2. Repairing valves
Heater valve issues is another set of repairs that you can fix by yourself. One of the main signs of damaged valves is an improper flow of water. The relief valve will fail to either release water at all, or simply allow only small drops to come out. The drain valve will likely leak out water. To repair leaks, you simply need to remove the valves and wrap a new pipe tape around the leaks. To replace the valves, use a wrench to remove the old ones and install the new ones.
3. Cleaning hot water tanks
In the course of its use, there will be a gradual buildup of sediments in the tank and water lines. When they aren’t undone in time, they make the entire heating system become inefficient and possibly cause clogging in water pipes. But you can avoid a much bigger predicament later on by flushing the sediments out early. Connecting a horse pipe makes the draining process even more efficient and faster. For simple water heater repairs, you don’t necessarily require any electrical experience. However, for safety purposes, you need to make sure power is off, and the tank completely drained off the hot water before you can start any repairs.
