From iron and zinc to copper, magnesium, and even lead, your water contains an amount of minerals that falls within local, regional, and federal water quality guidelines. Some water is more mineralized (or “hard”) than others; if you’ve ever noticed water spots on your silverware or glassware after washing it, or had trouble getting a lather from your soap or shampoo, these are signs that you could have hard water.
Unfortunately, hard water can cause bigger problems than simple stains on your barware: eventually, it can threaten one of your home comfort workhorses: your water heater. The good news is with a little preventive care, you can keep hard water from eating away at your hot water storage tank.
Here are four things you can do to prevent hard water from shortening the life of your water heater:
To flush your water storage tank,
A typical anode rod will last about five years depending on the volume of water that circulates through the tank; if you use a water softener (see below), that window shrinks considerably. Once your anode rod is depleted, your tank will rot much faster – and since replacing an anode rod is a lot cheaper than replacing your tank, it’s best to stay on top of the problem with routine maintenance and expert equipment checks.
Checking your anode rod takes a few minutes – see your water heater owner’s manual for details, or call us – we’ll do it for you.
Of course, even if you take all these precautions, your oil-fired water heater will eventually need to be replaced – typically about once every 10 years, if you have a conventional model (one with a tank, as opposed to a tankless water heater). When that time comes, contact us – we’ll have a new high-efficiency water heater installed quickly and correctly, with no need for follow-up hassles.
For expert oil-fired water heater installations and oil-fired water heater maintenance in Rhode Island, trust the pros at Vaughn Oil. Contact us today to learn more!