Do you service water heater YEARLY?

Question

Hey guys!

Do you service water heaters YEARLY? It's recommended (for maintenance) to flush the water heater to get rid of sediment, check the anode rod, the dip tubes, the T&P valve, pipes and drain. Do you do this as RE investors or is it not worth the money based on your experience? Also, how much does it cost in your area?

Thanks,

Edita

Aaron Mazzrillo · Answer

I could film a video of me flushing it, and you can hear it start knocking as soon as I close the valve and turn the flame back up. I think the heater is about 5 years old. The water here is so horrible. It ruins sprinkler heads. Just destroys them. I have to soak my shower heads in vinegar about once a year because of the calcium build up.

The solution is a water softening system and my wife is shopping around for one. Just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Aaron Mazzrillo · Answer

I think the biggest concern is what is the water like in your area? Back east, we had quite soft water and I don't ever remember my dad dealing with the hot water heater in our house or any of his rentals.

Here is SoCal, the water is extremely hard. The calcium build up is horrible. The hot water heater here at my house is only a few years old and it knocks like a neighbor wanting to borrow sugar for their morning coffee. I flush it, but it doesn't help much. I've just come to the realization that a hot water heater is only going to last about 1/2 its life expectancy. They are my biggest expense, by far, on my rentals even though I buy scratch and dent ones.

James Meehan · Answer

Although...if it's gas fired you should at least occasionally make sure it's operating safely. The T&P valve is good to make sure it still functions for safety but not many people bother with it since most don't do maintenance and the water heater lasts under 15 years. For anode rods if you want to keep the water heater strumming along it's good to change them about every 5 years. If the unit is located in a moist location the burner plate will corrode faster than normal and be more likely to throw off the tune of the unit and lead to possible excessive carbon monoxide. So in a moist environment it's better to just plan on doing regular replacement rather than maintenance. It's good to make sure the unit is venting properly too. Look for signs of partially melted plastic rings around the water inlet/outlet locations or staining on the top surface of the tank right around the flue pipe. Best thing to do is actually have the draft tested, chimney's have been known to fail or clog for various reasons..like birds nests

Edita D. · Answer

Thanks, guys! You were really helpful! Servicing the water heater is scrathed off from my preventative maintenance list :)

Jerry W. · Answer

I have never serviced a hot water heater.  Our water is not great, but we get 6 to 10 years out of them.  We do about one a year sometimes more.  I would pay much more than the cost of a new water heater in having them all serviced each year and would still have to replace them eventually.  I have had rentals for the last 20 years.

George P. · Answer

I installed a noritz tank less in my house.200k BTU rated

Andy Robison · Answer

have you put any thought into a tankless heater? I know my parents installed on in their personal home after 3 tanks. Now the only issue they have is a burnt heating element after 7 years. (Defective from factory) got it replaced for the cost of $12 and no other issues.

Pat L. · Answer

We have always had a water softener (10g/g) but like clockwork our 9 yr warranty 50 gal Hi Eff tanks fail around the 6 yr mark. Sitting there cooking water 24/7 doesn't help.

I flush, changed out the pressure relief valve etc etc every year so decided to go with an on demand system. Best thing we did & it was about the same price as a new HW tank.

PS: If your looking at water softeners this site has a lot of great information & they are very knowledgable regardless of weather you buy from them or not.

I am looking at installing the smaller units for our kids homes.

http://www.qualitywaterforless.com/Fleck_9100SXT_Twin_40000_p/f-ar40-91sxt.htm

Edita D. · Answer

Woooow! That's crazy... So even flushing doesn't help in CA...I guess than there's no point in wasting money on servicing!