Water Heater Safety Tips

For safety reasons, your water heater needs maintenance care and services. It is important to be familiar with the parts of the water heater. Most residential water heaters do have between 40 and 60 gallons, and they need to keep up with a pressure range of 50 to 100 psi, to serve the users but some steel tanks are designed to withstand a pressure of up to 300 psi. The common water heater parts that perform different functions include;

• The dip tube that lets in cold water,
• A pipe for hot water outlet,
• A thermostat to control the temperature inside the water heater,
• Heating elements to heat up water in the tank,
• Drain valve for empty the tank and for replacing heating elements,
• A Temperature and pressure valve to prevent an explosion of a tank, and
• Anode rod to prevent steel -tank from corrosion.

Controlling the temperature and pressure valve

The main duty of the temperature and pressure valve is to prevent an explosion of your water tank, especially when the temperature and pressure ranges of the tank have been exceeded. This valve is prone to several problems, hence you need to test the valve by pulling up the handle to ensure the water flows out freely and stops once you leave the handle, if your steps do not achieve anything then the valve must be replaced. Contact Just Water Heaters.

Controlling the temperature

Make sure you keep the temperature close to or at 120 degrees, this will help eliminate germs and prevent scalding from the extremely hot water. Make sure you test the intensity of the hot water with your elbow before bathing kids and babies. If you are traveling on a long journey, then you need to turn the temperature to its lowest.

Checking the vents

Vents are needed to ensure proper ventilation because a poor draft can lead to fumes and carbon monoxide to enter your room instead of going outside. To ensure that the vent is working properly, make sure the diameter of the vent is the same as a draft diverter. Secondly, you need to ensure that the vent goes up and out of the home and must be properly screwed. 

If you reside in the earthquake-prone area, make sure the earthquake straps are functioning properly and well maintained. Contact Just Water Heaters for more information on this. 

Other water heater maintenance tips you must consider

• All combustibles, including papers and dust, must be removed from the water heater enclosure.
• Do not use any flammable liquids until you extinguish the pilot light.
• If your water heater is in the garage, make sure you raise it at least 18 inches above the floor- this will prevent the ignition of any gasoline vapor collecting near the surface of the ground.  This is necessary if you use a gas water heater.

• You should also consider the installation of a gas shut-off valve just in case there is a sudden sharp rise in the gas flow. 

Contact Just Water Heaters, for more information on how to safeguard and maintain your water heater.