5 Things You Need to Know About Your Water Heater

The invention of water heaters left us all with the luxury of having a warm shower whenever we feel like it, all with the installation of the simple machine in our homes. You don’t often change your water heater, but when you do it’s supposed to last you for at least the next decade – this makes it a monumental purchase that you shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Before buying your water heater, make sure you do all your research and read up on the subject. Things like maintenance, important features, size, and energy requirements are only some of the things that tell you whether a particular water heater is right for you or not. And even if you do already have one, knowing how to take care of it and what it does can help you improve its longevity.

Keep reading to learn about five things you should know about your water heater.

1.  You Need to Check it for Repairs Regularly

Water heaters last a long time, but you still need to check them regularly to make sure you get the best use out of them. Check the tank itself for any funny smells, to see if it’s not filling to full capacity, or for any leakages.

You don’t have to be an expert to know whether your heater needs any repairs, and if you think that you do need expert help, you can get it from professionals.

2.  How Energy Efficient is it?

Did you know that most water heaters in the US have an Energy Factor (EF) rating that measures how energy efficient the water heater is? The more the EF rating, the more energy-efficient it’ll be.

You can check your own water heater to find out what its EF rating is and resolve to buy a better one if you find out that you could get a water heater that saves you more energy than your current one does.

3.  Safety Precautions

You probably know this if you’ve ever dealt with water heaters before, but the water inside their tanks is hot enough to cause third-degree burns. This is why the proper safety precautions are essential when you’re looking at it for maintenance.

4.  Type of Tank

One of the most popular kinds of water heaters is the tank storage water heater, which keeps heated water in a tank and then releases it on demand whenever you turn on the hot water tap, but these heaters require a lot of energy.

A more energy-efficient option is the instant or on the demand water heater that heats up water as it flows through the pipes at home, but it can be a bit tricky to use if you live in a big household where a lot of people would need hot water at the same time.

5.  How Much Water Can They Handle?

You can check this by looking at the gallons per minute rating. On storage water tanks, it indicates how much water the tank can hold and how quickly it can heat the water up. On instant water heaters, it tells you how fast it can warm up the water.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.