Maintaining your water heater

INCREASING YOUR WATER HEATER'S SERVICE LIFE AND, PROVIDING ENERGY SAVINGS!

The maintenance of an electric water heater is within everyone's reach providing you follow the manufacturer's guidelines. However, you are free to ask your installer for a biennial maintenance contract if possible. It is highly recommended for thermodynamic and solar water heaters.

A REGULAR MAINTENANCE IN THREE STEPS

Regardless of the type of technology, three operations must be carried out regularly:

  1. Operate the pressure relief valve's lever of draining, in order to avoid jamming, in case of scale deposits. Ideally, do it once a month.
  2. Drain your water heater tank (or ask a professional to do it) at least every two years in areas with hard water. This action allows to get rid of scale deposits on the heating element. Caution: do it by hand without abrasives nor chemicals. Do not forget to change the gasket when reassembling.
  3. Check the electrical connections, the state of the electric wires, the thermostats and other regulation devices.

FOR THERMODYNAMIC AND SOLAR WATER HEATERS

For thermodynamic water heaters, add to the procedure dust removal for filters at least once a year. Caution: a refrigeration certification is required to control the tightness of the circuit containing the refrigerant (needed for the heat pump to operate). For solar water heaters, check on a regular basis the cleanliness of the solar collectors installed on the roof. In general, no intervention is needed, rain washes dust and other deposits.