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Facility Maintenance Tip: Making the Most of Your Water Heater
November 01, 2011
A little preventative maintenance can go a long way when it comes to the water heater in your home or commercial property.
Don’t have the budget for a new energy-efficient water heater in your home or commercial property? These simple steps will help you get the most out of your current water heater.
- Set your water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which should be plenty comfortable. Each 10-degree reduction in the water temperature setting will cut the heater's energy consumption by 3-5%. Your dishwasher will still get dishes clean if it has an internal heater to finish heating the water to 140 degrees. If it doesn't have an internal heater, keep the water heater at 140 degrees.
- When you go on vacation, turn the water heater thermostat off, or at least turn it down to its lowest possible setting. If your heater has a pilot light, be sure you know how to relight it when you return.
- Insulate your hot water pipes to reduce heat loss. Also, put in heat traps or one-way valves in the pipes.
- Insulate the first three feet of cold-water pipe connected to the water heater.
Most water heaters live 10-15 years. If yours is in its golden years, have a plumber look at it to advise how much life it has left. If it is starting to go (or is just very inefficient) it may make sense to go ahead and replace it with a more energy-efficient water heater. Don't wait until it breaks on Christmas Eve and you have a houseful of guests, as it takes longer than 20 minutes to sort through the many options of new high-efficient water heaters. A little
preventative maintenance can go a long way.
Allen Bernard
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