How to Prepare Your Water Heater for Winter

Hot water is always important, but it can be even more important in the winter.

After all, cold showers are even more miserable when it’s also cold outside and no one wants to worry about their pipes freezing.

Here at Triple Crown Plumbing, we recommend taking care of your water heater in Garland or Rockwall, TX before cold temps come.

Read on for the best ways to do that, or just call an expert Garland, TX plumber now!

Check the Thermostat

Set the thermostat on the water heater at 120 degrees and keep it there. You don’t want water much warmer than that touching your skin and heating it higher than that requires quite a bit of extra energy. That setting should give you a good balance between energy efficiency and water that is plenty warm enough for showering and more.

Add Insulation

Wrap an insulation blanket around your water heater and secure it carefully. You can buy these kits at your local hardware store. Just make sure you get one that is big enough for your water heater. Clean the heater, perform any maintenance, then wrap it up so that it doesn’t lose heat as easily. You’ll have warmer water and save money, too!

Flush it Out

Flush your water heater to get any built-up sediment out of the tank. If you leave it, it can hamper heating and eventually mean you need to buy a new water heater sooner than expected. Your water heater will have specific instructions about how to do this. In general, you’ll turn off water and power to the unit, open a valve, and empty the heater into a bucket (you may want to attach a hose first, depending on the type of unit you have).

Inspect the Whole Unit

Give your whole water heater a close inspection. Look for rust or other signs of leakage. Make sure the thermostat and any other gauges are working the way they are supposed to and that they respond when you adjust them. Check your anode rod and make sure it doesn’t need to be replaced.

If you need help preparing your water heater in Rockwall or Garland, TX for winter, call us at Triple Crown Plumbing. We’ll be there soon and we’ll do what it takes to keep your water heater in great shape. We can also help you when you need water heater repairs or when you want to get a new one. Call now and we’ll be there soon!