Without a working water heater, you can’t enjoy hot showers, sanitize dishes, and washing clothes can be difficult. Needless to say, when your water heater breaks down, you have a big problem. Most water heaters last at least 10 years, but if you don’t maintain it well, all bets are off.

At Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter, we want you to get as many years out of your water heater as possible. That’s why we’re put together this post. Check out our pros’ tips for maintaining your water heater.

Pay Attention to the Temperature

The recommended setting for residential water heaters is 120 F. Temperatures higher than this can cause accelerated mineral buildup. When this happens, water heaters can corrode and stop working sooner. Keeping the temperature setting to 120 F is also good for energy savings and lowers the risk of scalding.

Drain the Tank Once a Year

This simple maintenance task flushes mineral buildup from the tank and helps it last longer. Draining the tank is easy and only requires hooking up a garden hose to the valve to release the water. Plumbing companies in Pomona like ours offer water heater flushing as part of annual water heater maintenance programs.

Test the Pressure Relief Valve

A working pressure relief valve is important. If this valve isn’t working right, it might not notice that the pressure in the tank has risen. Too much pressure in the water heater is a serious problem that can turn dangerous.

To test the relief valve raise the lever and then lower it. When it’s raised, it should emit a short burst of air. Any time that this doesn’t happen, you need to call us. We’ll install a new pressure relief valve immediately.

Schedule Annual Water Heater Maintenance

We know that taking care of your water heater is important. We also know that you get busy and your water heater is tucked away out of sight making it easy to forget. That’s why we offer annual water heater services for homes and businesses. We send licensed and bonded plumber to your place to drain the tank, test the pressure relief valve, and inspect other parts of the water heater. Our experts also help homeowners maintain other water heaters including tankless water heaters and hybrid models.

To learn more about all of our plumbing system maintenance services, call Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter. We’re here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week!