Does Your Water Heater Need a Tune Up?

There’s nothing worse than having to take a cold shower in the winter when your water just won’t get hot. Believe it or not, this isn’t always an issue with frozen pipes. More likely, it might be time to get your water heater serviced! 

In order to avoid completely disrupting your water supply or damaging the system, you should have your water heater serviced at least once a year, or as soon as you notice any significant changes or issues. Don’t run your heating bill up by cranking the temperature all the way, just to get a lukewarm stream.

The most important part of maintaining your water heater is flushing the tank. 

If your tank does not get flushed or flushed properly, sediment will start to build up - causing your water heater to work harder to produce hot water and causing you to pay more on the bill. Additionally, a prolonged build up of sediment will result in a loss of water pressure and corrosion on the inside of your tank, causing holes in the future - and ultimately replacing your entire water heater.

You can try to do this yourself, but having a professional check it will ensure that nothing is being overlooked. If you want to flush the system yourself, hook a hose up to the boiler drain on the bottom of the tank, and flush it out to the nearest floor drain. Let it drain for about 5-7 minutes, disconnect the hose and close the boiler drain. 

It is recommended to call experts like us. A professional, experienced plumber will know what to look for and identify any concerns of future issues, to prevent them before they happen.

You can tell when your water heater needs to be serviced - when you start having issues. Based on the type of water heater you have, these signs will look different:

Electric Water Heater - If your water heater is electric, you’ll know it’s time for maintenance when you often don’t have enough hot water to take a full shower. You’ll be able to start off fine with a hot shower, but the water will turn cold quickly and won’t get hot again.

Gas Water Heater - If your gas heater isn’t working, it’ll be pretty obvious fairly quickly. Gas water heaters will either work, or they won’t. So if yours isn’t working, you probably won’t have any hot water at all.

Tankless Water Heater - Similar to a gas heater, tankless water heaters will pretty much stop working if they need to be serviced. In addition, if your tank is making strange or loud noises or vibrating heavy, you should call for service. 

Running water in the winter when your water heater is broken will run you a high utility bill fairly quickly - so don’t delay on calling our team of experts  if you’re having any issues. Long-term issues will only worsen and cost you more money in the long run. 

We are water heater experts and whether your water heater needs repair or replacement, we can help. We’ve been in the business for over 25 years, and are no strangers to an Upstate New York winter. We offer free estimates so be sure to give us a call as soon as you notice a problem!