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How to increase the Life of your Hot Water System

Posted by on January 28, 2014

As houses start to get old, there are certain maintenance issues that need to be attended to. Examples include air conditioning, window seals breaking, garden maintenance with weeds that keep growing and more. Very often people ignore maintenance on their hot water system. This can result in replacement of the system every few years

There is a great solution to extend the life of your hot water system. By replacing the anode every two years you could almost double the life span of the system. The best part of all this is that you do not need a plumber to replace an anode valve. You can do it yourself. I know what you are thinking… what is an anode valve? An anode is the long metal rod that runs from the top of the how water system to the bottom.

There are massive savings to be made by replacing the anode valve every two – three years. To put this into a simple equation, if we say that on average a hot water heater is replaced every five years and we can double that to ten years by replacing the anode valve every two or three years:

–       anodes cost about $50

–       4 anodes will cost about $200

–       approx cost to install a hot water system $500

Using this method, you will save about $300 plus the cost of a new hot water system every ten years plus a whole lot of headache. Not bad!

To replace an anode valve is no big job. Anodes are available to purchase from most hardware stores. Follow the steps below to replace your hot water systems anode:

  1. Turn off the water going into the tank and also turn off the power supply leading from the tank.
  2. You need to drain approx twelve to sixteen liters of water from the tank
  3. Use a socket wrench to remove the existing anode valve.
  4. Install the new anode valve. Its recommended to wrap Teflon tape around the threads of the new anode. Be sure to tighten it with a good socket wrench.

In four easy steps, you have just saved yourself hundreds of dollars for not much fuss. Be sure to tell your friends and family about this little trick so they too can save lots ofmoney!

For more information and other articles, please look at the Geelong 24 Hour Plumbing Handy Hints

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Fixing Your Hot Water System

Posted by on November 17, 2013

Have you run your bath water only to realise its ice cold? Have you jumped in the shower and been sprayed by cold water? If so, chances are you have a problem with your homes hot water system. Don’t stress, there are a few basic things you can try yourself prior to calling a plumber.  If you have a natural or propane gas water system, chances are the pilot has gone out. The pilot is a small flame that ignites the gas burner on your system. When it goes out, first try relighting it, following the directions on the label, which is often on the front of the system. If the pilot doesn’t relight, or if it goes out right after lighting, by far the most common cause is a broken thermocouple. The good news: you can usually replace a thermocouple for minimal cost and in less than an hour from a local hardware. You’ll get your hot water going without waiting for a pro to show up and save a few dollars!

To replace the thermocouple, be sure to turn off the shutoff valve in the gas line; that is, one quarter turn so that the handle is at a right angle to the pipe. Since working room is tight around the burner, we recommend that you simply unscrew the three nuts at the control valve and pull out the entire burner assembly unit. You’ll see either a slot or clips that hold it in its place. Then either unscrew the thermocouple end or pull it out (depending on the water heater) and take it with you to hardware store to find a match. Position it exactly the same way as the old one. The pilot flame should wrap around the thermocouple bulb.

To reattach the three lines to the gas valve, thread the nuts into place with your fingers and hand-tighten them properly. Then snug them up with a quarter to half revolution with a wrench. The metals are soft, so don’t over tighten as they will break.

Be sure to test for gas leaks. You must have the pilot lit and the burner on for this test so that gas is flowing through the large tube on the system. Reopen the shutoff valve, relight the pilot, then turn the control valve to the “on” position. When the gas burner is on, use a 50/50 dish soap/water mix to test the screw joints for air bubbles that indicate leaks.

 

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