When There’s No One To Blame for the Hot Water Shortage: The Many Ways Water Heater Repair Helps | Bedford, TX
If everyone’s taking short showers before the hot water runs out, sometimes there’s only the water heater to blame. In a typical dual-thermostat unit, your hot water supply will be affected in unexpected ways if a single thermostat fails, since each one governs heating in the upper or lower sections of the tank. You may get less hot water, a longer wait for fully hot water, or something in-between. The same goes for problems with the heating elements controlled by the thermostats. These are just a couple of the issues that our water heater repair team can diagnose and repair, and maybe bring peace to your household in the process. Tioga Plumbing & Electric has home hot water experts who serve the Bedford, TX area with water heater repair and replacement, and other hot water solutions.
Water Heater Maintenance, for More Quality Hot Water, Fewer Floods and Other Disasters
We tell our customers in the Bedford, TX area that we’re glad when we provide more maintenance calls and water heater repairs and make fewer emergency calls. There seems to be a connection. By having our team take a look at your water heater, you can make sure that your unit is heating properly and well-regulated by the thermostat, the anode rod is in good shape and keeping the water healthy and the tank as free of corrosion as possible, and the pressure relief valve is operating correctly, neither leaking not failing to open when necessary. We make sure that the tank is overall in good shape, and your hot water quality and pressure throughout the house is as it should be. Regular maintenance and water heater repair when needed can also help keep your energy costs down as we identify any problems that are making the unit work harder than it needs to while it tries to provide the hot water you need.
Popping Sounds Can Indicate that Water Heater Maintenance or Repair is Needed
Mineral deposits such as calcium and lime may accumulate at the bottom of your water heater tank and produce popping sounds as heater water bursts through the sediment. Much of the DFW area has some degree of hard water, so an unmaintained water heater is likely to be affected by this problem. The anode rod is also affected by hard water, degrading faster as it performs its sacrificial service to stabilize water quality in the tank. Water heater repair technicians should replace the anode rod periodically, at least every five years or more often as needed. Popping sounds do indicate pressure is building, which can increase and should be released by the pressure release valve. In rare circumstances, unvented pressure can rupture the tank, sometimes violently. Flushing the tank as part of the maintenance can help remove the sediment, and an inspection of the safety valve is important as well. If you notice signs of water venting often, or pressure-related sounds such as whistling, call for water heater repair right away.
Checking and Adjusting Hot Water Heating Elements
Your hot water heater has one or two thermostats and heating elements. Our technician will check the thermostat for accuracy and set it to a safe temperature that will supply quality hot water, in the zone between hot enough for good hygiene such as hand washing, and cool enough that it won’t scald anyone, especially any young or elderly people in your home. There are many ways to save energy costs with hot water, and setting the target temperature outside the safe zone is not recommended. Instead, consider insulation of the tank and pipes, installing a newer, more efficient model, or using small, local tankless hot water units in key locations such as under your kitchen sink to meet your hot water needs faster and in a more targeted fashion.
Tankless Hot Water Heater Repair and Installation
You may consider water heaters that, instead of heating a whole tank of hot water, use intense heat to bring water passing through to the desired temperature. Some families install them as their hot water source, or as part of their solution in conjunction with a tank-based system. Smaller units can also serve bathrooms and the kitchen as needed so that hotter water is available immediately without wasting water waiting for it to turn hot as the line is filled with water from a distant tank. In a home with children or seniors, local water heaters can allow the lowest hygienic setting for water from faucets to protect sensitive hands, while the local devices provide hotter water where desired, such as the parents’ shower or the kitchen sink. Tankless hot water systems can also help when family use of hot water varies, and keeping a full tank hot isn’t always efficient.
Ways to Make Your Hot Water Use More Effective
Rather than focusing on cutting back on shower use when the shower heads are ineffective, inefficient older models, our water heater repair crew can also tell you about that many ways that you can save hot water by spending a bit on your shower technology. The simplest way is to ensure that you have a low-flow shower head and that any flow restriction devices installed between older shower heads and your plumbing have not decayed into pieces that are blocking the shower spray internally. Larger shower heads, multiple heads, and even full-body shower spray can use more water, but provide the same coverage as a single-head shower in a fraction of the time. Instead of having a complex shower routine, you can cover all areas at once and rise off in a moment, perfect for getting going in the morning.
Our Team at Tioga Plumbing & Electric Is Your Bedford, TX Water Heater Repair Experts
Let us help you get the most out of your hot water system and your showers, faucets, dishwashers, and washing machines. Call us today for expert maintenance, and avoid water heater emergencies.
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