This repair is potentially dangerous if done wrong. When hard water is heated, the carbonates precipitate out of solution, forming scale in pipes, tea pots, pans and the heater itself. In addition to narrowing and potentially clogging the pipes, scale prevents efficient heat transfer, so a water heater with scale will have to use a lot of energy to give you hot water. In West Texas we have extremely hard water. You can hear a water heater popping as the minerals heat. A 6-7 year old heat can be as much as half full of this precipitated sludge. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 85 percent of the United States geography has hard water. Around here we hook up a hose and drain the heater once a year to try to get rid of some of this stuff.
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This repair is potentially dangerous if done wrong. When hard water is heated, the carbonates precipitate out of solution, forming scale in pipes, tea pots, pans and the heater itself. In addition to narrowing and potentially clogging the pipes, scale prevents efficient heat transfer, so a water heater with scale will have to use a lot of energy to give you hot water. In West Texas we have extremely hard water. You can hear a water heater popping as the minerals heat. A 6-7 year old water heater can be as much as half full of this precipitated sludge. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 85 percent of the United States geography has hard water. Around here we hook up a hose and drain the heater once a year to try to get rid of some of this stuff.
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First, do you see a build up of any calcium around the valve? Consider shutting the gas off, draining the tank, removing and then replacing the overflow valve or cleaning it. Age of the heater has a lot to do with this and where you live. If you use tap water for ice cubes, how much crude is in the bottom of the glass after the ice melts?
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First, do you see a build up of any calcium around the valve? Consider shutting the gas off, draining the tank, removing and then replacing the overflow valve or cleaning it. The age of the heater has a lot to do with this, as well as where you live. If you use tap water for ice cubes, how much crud is in the bottom of the glass after the ice melts?
This repair is potentially dangerous if done wrong. When hard water is heated, the carbonates precipitate out of solution, forming scale in pipes, tea pots, pans and the heater itself. In addition to narrowing and potentially clogging the pipes, scale prevents efficient heat transfer, so a water heater with scale will have to use a lot of energy to give you hot water. In West Texas we have extremely hard water. You can hear a water heater popping as the minerals heat. A 6-7 year old heat can be as much as half full of this precipitated sludge. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 85 percent of the United States geography has hard water. Around here we hook up a hose and drain the heater once a year to try to get rid of some of this stuff.
First, do you see a build up of any calcium around the valve? Consider shutting the gas off, draining the tank, removing and then replacing the overflow valve or cleaning it. Age of the heater has a lot to do with this and where you live. If you use tap water for ice cubes, how much crude is in the bottom of the glass after the ice melts?