Electric water heaters are convenient. Moreover, even those who have mains hot water still install an electric water heater at home, and in the summer, when maintenance work is underway, they do not experience any inconvenience. In a word, the thing is necessary and useful, but the question is: does it need any maintenance or does it work on the set-and-forget principle? Unfortunately, this question arises only when some problems begin. And, as luck would have it, they begin during the season when the need for hot water is especially acute. The device, let’s say, is not cheap, so I wouldn’t want to get into trouble.
What needs to be done to make the boiler work for a long time
If you use your water heater very rarely, then the question immediately arises: should you leave the water there while the device is turned off, or should you drain it? Will the water inside the boiler spoil?
The device itself is designed for approximately 10 years of operation, of course, provided that all recommendations in the instructions are followed. If for some reason you have lost the instructions, no problem. Now this problem is solved via the Internet – here you can find instructions for any model in just a couple of minutes. To get the required document, simply enter the name and model number into the search bar.
What do all the recommendations have in common? First of all, you should not “drive” the device in maximum mode, that is, set the water temperature to the maximum permissible values. This reduces the life of the heating element.
The second common point at which everyone who especially advocates saving “punctures” is turning off the water heater at night or on the weekend. You will save a tiny amount of kilowatts on this, but the wear of the elements will be disproportionately greater.
To drain or not to drain the water from the tank?
So, you know in advance that you will not use the water heater for a long time. Then, of course, it makes sense to disconnect it from the network. But is it necessary to drain the water? In most cases, no. If you are worried that the water in the tank will “go rotten,” then before turning it off, simply heat it to the maximum temperature for a couple of hours.
But there are circumstances when this is necessary. For example, if your boiler is located in a room where the temperature can drop to negative levels. Water can turn to ice and rupture the tank. Here you need to drain not only the water from the boiler but also from all the pipes that go to it.
What maintenance does the boiler require?
Still, the water heater needs periodic maintenance if you want it to work as long as possible. You need to do three things, but at least once every two years. It is imperative to inspect and clean the heating element from scale. About once every two years you need to change the magnesium anode on the heating element. If your water is hard, then every year. Remember that replacing the magnesium anode will significantly extend the life of the water heater tank. And finally, periodically you need to rinse and wipe the tank, removing internal deposits.
