Your water heater allows you to enjoy nice, hot water out of all of your faucets in your home. Taking care of your water heater will help ensure that it produces water in the most energy-efficient manner possible.

Lower the Temperature

If you have never adjusted the temperature on your water heater, do so this summer. Lower the temperature by a couple of degrees. Lowering the temperature a few degrees can be beneficial to your water heater. When the temperature is just a few degrees lower, it will require less energy and thus cause less strain on your water heater. Lowering the temperature a little bit will still allow the water to get hot enough for sanitary reasons, while putting less pressure on the heater.

Insulate Your Tank & Pipes

The next thing you need to do is insulate your water heater. Insulating your water heater as well as all the hot water pipes leading from your water heater to your home can help you save money. When your water heater and pipes are insulated, the amount of heat that is lost as the water travels from your water heater to your home is greatly reduced. This allows you to not turn up the faucet so much in order to get hot water, which also reduces the strain on your water heater.

Flushing Your Tank

After that, you need to flush your tank. To flush your tank, you are going to need turn off your water heater thermostat, turn off the fuel source, and turn off the cold water supply. Then turn on the hot water in your sink or tub to flush the hot water out of your tank. Keep the faucet on the entire time you are flushing the system.

Then, connect a garden hose to the drainage spigot on the bottom of your water heater and put the hose in a large bucket. Open up the spigot and let the water drain out until you don't see any sediment in the bucket.

Then, flush the tank by turning the cold water back on and continue to allow water to drain out of the hose until the water is nice and clear. Once the water it clear, turn off the spigot and disconnect the hose. Finally, turn the power source back on to your water heater.

Take care of your water heater by turning down the temperature and insulating the tank and hot water pipes. Flush your tank out at least once a year to remove sediment, and twice a year if you live somewhere with hard water, which can cause sediment to build up at a faster rate. For more information, contact a company like Buchner Bernie Inc.