How To Prevent Water Heater Breakdowns
Probably the most common thing that people want to know about water heaters is:
HOW TO PREVENT WATER HEATER BREAKDOWNS
After being in this business for over 30 years, we at Hot Water 911 can tell you in one word:
MAINTENANCE
When you buy a new car and you have invested a lot of money in this shiny new object, you want to make sure that it lasts for a long time. After all, you need to depend on this new car to get you to work, to get you to commitments, to get you to your vacation destination. You need that car to be reliable. So, when the fuel gauge points toward “Empty”, you fill the tank up with gas. When the windshield washer fluid is low, you fill it up. When you have driven 3,000 miles, you change your oil. When you have driven around 50,000 miles, you get new tires for the car. When the car gets dirty, you wash it. So, as a rule, you are diligent about the upkeep of your car because you would be lost without it. You depend on your car.
The same should hold true for your hot water heater. Sadly, we tend not to think about our hot water heaters until something goes wrong. So what can you do?
You can do some basic water heater maintenance yourself with the simple steps shared here or you can have a water heater expert, like Hot Water 911, set you up with routine maintenance.
BASIC ANNUAL WATER HEATER MAINTENANCE
- Familiarize yourself with your water heater. Read any instruction manuals that may have come with your water heater. Look at the various components of your water heater so that you are comfortable with it.
- Turn off the heat source to your water heater. If it is an electric water heater, turn off the breaker to the tank. If it is gas, turn off the gas leading to the water heater.
- Turn off the water source to your water heater.
- Attach a hose to the water drain spout at the bottom of your water heater tank and open the water drain valve and the pressure releasing valve to let the water run out of the tank into a floor drain. The water may look dirty at first. Let the water drain for about 30 minutes
- Turn the water drain valve off and take off the hose. Place a bucket under the water drain spigot and turn on the water to the tank. Once you have turned the water back on to the tank, open the water drain valve and allow the tank to flush itself out into the waiting bucket. After about 2 gallons of flushed water, the water should be clear.
- Turn off the water drain valve and the pressure release valve. Turn the water to the tank back on and fill the tank.
- Once the tank is filled, turn the heat source to the tank back on.
This should be done once a year. If you are at all unsure about this procedure, never take any chances….give your water heater expert a call so that they can complete this important maintenance for you. If you didn’t know how to change the oil in your car, you wouldn’t take a chance and do something incorrectly…you would take it to your mechanic. The same is true for your water heater. When in doubt, always call the expert. If, in your maintenance of the water heater you notice leaks around the tank or you find that the water never seems to get clear, you need to call your water heater expert so that they can diagnose and fix the problem.
At Hot Water 911, water heaters are what we do. If you have questions about water heater maintenance or about anything water heater related, please email us or give us a call at
1-800 GO HOT WATER ( 1-800-464-6892 )
Hot Water 911 and Food Industry News Experience Kismet
Did you ever have one of those experiences where you just know that this experience was going to be a good thing? That there was a feeling of kismet? Well, that is what happened with us at Hot Water 911 when we first met Cary Miller, Vice President of Food Industry News. It was better than six degrees of separation…it was more like two degrees of separation!
You see, Hot Water 911 has a close relationship with so many restaurants, making sure that they have the hot water that they need to keep their doors open. Food Industry News has a close relationship with many of these same restaurants and food purveyors as well. When Cary approached us about sharing information about our services with the Food Industry News readers, we had one of those “aha” moments…and, when we were done kicking ourselves for waiting so long, we shared. I am happy to say that Hot Water 911 is proud to be seen in the February edition of the Food Industry News. You can see our offer online here on page 28.
Why is this important, you ask? I’ll tell you why!
It’s all about connections…and no,I’m not talking about piping connections… this time.
Really, isn’t that what life is about? Connections? The more people that we can connect with to tell them about what we do at Hot Water 911 and to inform them about their water heaters, the better their chances are of knowing exactly what to do in case of a water heater emergency. You know how we have certain expectations of our carand, other than routine maintenance, we don’t put much thought into our car on a day to day basis? But then, one day, you discover that your transmission is shot. This could be a time to panic, but you remember talking to a friend not long ago who extolled the praises of a great transmission guy and so you feel confident in trusting this guy because of your connection. In most service businesses, inherent in their model is a need-based structure….you call service businesses when you need them. But, if you don’t know about the service business, how are you going to know that business XYZ is the best place to call when you need that particular service? You don’t…unless you have made good and valuable connections that lead you to that business.
And that’s where the Food Industry News and Hot Water 911 have experienced kismet. Connecting with this publication creates connections that will help people when they have a water heater emergency. They will remember that they read about us in a publication that they trust. And we at Hot Water 911 won’t let them down. Water heaters are what we do and we do them well.
For all of your water heater related questions and concerns, call us at 1-800-Go Hot Water (1-800-464-6892 )
Spooky Basements and Water Heaters
Click on the audio button to create the mood… Sound Effects – Spooky Sounds
So can we agree that some basements are downright spooky? I mean dungeons of terror spooky. Ghosts and goblins spooky. Scream spooky.
But of course, spooky or not, every once in awhile, we have to force ourselves to enter into the eerie depths of our basements to check out our water heater if it stops working. Flashlight in hand, swiping cobwebs out of the way, our need for hot water rises above the spookiness of the basement. If it’s a gas water heater, see if you can see that glowing flicker of the pilot light. Ignore the spiders and see if there are signs of leaking around the base of the water heater. With trembling hands, write down the make and model number of your water heater and run back upstairs to the safety of your kitchen and then…
Give Hot Water 911 a call. Not only do we have factory trained technicians to help you with all of your water heater needs, we have also been given special training by the Ghost Busters to handle spooky basements. One call to 1-800-Go Hot Water (1-800-464-6892) and your fears will be removed!
How I Met Your Mother, Doppelgangers and Bob Vila
I’m just going to assume that you love the awesome TV hit, How I Met Your Mother (heretofore referred to as HIMYM ). How can you not? And, working under that assumption, you are undoubtedly aware of one of the very best episodes that revolves around doppelgängers. You can refresh your memory here . Did I not tell you HIMYM is awesome?
I find the whole concept of doppelgängers fascinating. We’ve all seen someone in our daily travels that jumps out at us because they look identical to someone else we know. It can be pretty eerie actually. I’ve called a few friends and family members over the years to tell them that they have a twin walking around in whatever town it happens to be. The funny thing about most doppelgängers is that, given the opportunity to put the two individuals together, chances are, in real time, the similarities would be less obvious. The unique effect of doppelgängers is reliant on our memory’s picture of what the other person looks like. And, quite often, our memory gets a bit fuzzy when in the midst of a doppelgänger revelation. Usually.
And then there is Hot Water 911‘s president, Tony Scimeca. Tony has been in the mechanical trades for all of his adult life. He has been found on rehab project sites, on new construction sites and in the construction check out line of many big box stores. If Tony had a dollar for every time someone asked him if he was Bob Vila, well, let’s just say the US economy would be in a different situation right now. Tony’s doppelgänger is Bob Vila…or maybe Bob Vila’s doppelgänger is Tony Scimeca. Tony had the honor of meeting the very talented Bob Vila a number of years ago at a trade show and Mr. Vila was kind enough to chat with Tony and allow their picture to be taken together.
And, while Tony still gets told from time to time that he is the spitting image of Bob Vila and he politely nods his head and affirms that he has heard this a time or two in his life, for the most part, life goes on. Until last week… while in a store that Bob Vila promotes. There in the back room of said store was a life size cardboard cutout of …you guessed it…Bob Vila. People in the store were laughing at how closely Tony and Mr. Vila resembled each other. Pictures were requested. Pictures were taken. Well….you be the judge. Do we have a doppelgänger winner here?
