During the cold weather months your water heater really gets a workout. Not only is hot water comforting after a long, hard day in the cold weather but, you use hot water more often for washing laundry, washing dishes, and cooking.
Most people don’t think much about their water heater, until something goes wrong and they don’t have hot water. We encourage you to use these few weeks of fall to get your hot water heater prepared and protected before the cold weather arrives.
- Most water heaters are installed somewhere in the home that is not fully insulated. This means that the water heater is vulnerable to the outdoor temperatures. When you put a hot mug of water in the freezer, eventually the water will cool off. This is the same for your water heater. It stands in a cold room and the water inside of it drops a few degrees around the cold. This means that the heating element has to work that much harder to keep the water at the temperature that you have specified. To help combat this, wrap your water heater with an insulated blanket. This will help to keep the cold out.
- Schedule water heater maintenance. Have a professional plumber come to your home to inspect your water heater and make sure that all parts and pieces are working properly. This will help to identify any minor issues that could escalate with the extra work of the cold weather months.
- Keep an eye on the pressure valve. The water inside of your water heater is always being heated up and this means condensation and steam. A pressure valve is installed on the side of your tank to register the amount of pressure that is building inside of the tank and help to release it. If the valve is not working properly, your tank could explode or begin to leak.
Being stuck without hot water during the cold weather months can be miserable. Not to mention the added expense of having your water heater repaired or replaced. Make sure to follow these tips to get your water heater ready for the winter.