Water Heaters
Unless you’re a tenant in a large apartment building you probably have a water heater. Even a large number of apartment dwellers have a water heater on their floor, but they don’t have to worry about it. In fact most people don’t ever worry about their water heater until the day arrives that that morning shower is frightfully cold one morning. This might happen because someone else has used the hot water already or possibly one of your heating elements are faulty, but let me explain about the components of a water heaters.
Water heaters essentially are a large boiling pot of water that has two burners. One on the bottom to heat cold water coming in. Remember that heat rises, so the water at the top of the tank is going to be hotter. There is another heating element just about halfway up the tank and this is to maintain the heat of your hot water. If your hot water heater is running out of hot water to quickly its most likely that one of the heating elements are bad. If your water goes from hot to cold, its most likely the bottom one. But, it also could be because your water heater might be too small for the amount of people using it. Or, if you are one that takes very long showers where your skin starts to prune up, it is probably just you using up all the hot water and you should take shorter showers.
Water heaters essentially are a large boiling pot of water that has two burners. One on the bottom to heat cold water coming in. Remember that heat rises, so the water at the top of the tank is going to be hotter. There is another heating element just about halfway up the tank and this is to maintain the heat of your hot water. If your hot water heater is running out of hot water to quickly its most likely that one of the heating elements are bad. If your water goes from hot to cold, its most likely the bottom one. But, it also could be because your water heater might be too small for the amount of people using it. Or, if you are one that takes very long showers where your skin starts to prune up, it is probably just you using up all the hot water and you should take shorter showers.
Your water heater should last you around ten to fifteen years of life before corrosion settles in. One thing that can shorten the life of your water heater is the buildup of sediment. In areas that have “hard water” you should periodically have your water heater flushed, even up to once a year. This will keep the amount of mineral buildup down and your water heater working efficiently.