Preserving Your Water Heater

We often take our water heaters for granted. That is until they spring a leak or stop working for some reason.

One of the inexpensive things we can do ourselves to prolong the life of the water heater is to replace what is called the "Sacrificial Anode" in our tanks. This anode attracts the the rust that would otherwise attack the lining of the tank. It gets used up over a 2-3 year period and then stops working

This is a do-it-ourself task as these anodes are usually accessible from the side of the tank. They cost around $15.

You can also flush the tank (using the garden hose fitting at the bottom) to get rid of any corrosive debris in the tank - do this once a year. Be sure the electricity is off before trying this (do this at the breaker box for your house). Call a trusted plumber for advice if you have any questions.

If you get a new tank, they now have them with plastic liners that last a lot longer than the glass-lined steel tank we all have been using for years