What To Do When Your Water Heater Is Overheating?

A water heater is an indispensable tool at home; they are even essential in cold weather when all you want to do is take a bath and rush out for work. However, while all you need is hot water to shake off the cold, having a water heater overheat is not a desirable situation for anyone.

Since boiling water can burn your skin and produce more difficulties than intended, if the system overheats for an extended period of time, it creates a level of pressure that can harm the entire system.

Given that the water heater is not a complex system, you can quickly check it out to know the cause of the problem. If you start experiencing certain malfunctioning with your water heater, it may be the right time to reach out to qualified companies like Clover Services for proper check and recommendation.

When you realize that your water heater is malfunctioning, the only option is to inspect the device to determine what is wrong before repairing it.

Below are some of the things to check first.

Check the temperature

The reason your water heater may be overheating can be something as simple as not setting the right temperature. The water temperature may be so high that you need to reduce it back. To do this, go check the water heater setting to see the current temperature and where it is set far higher than 120 degrees; you may need to reduce it back.

Check the heating element

Another component of the water heater to check is the heating element, and this can be a significant cause of overheating. It has a bad implication of spoiling the water heater. When the water flowing into your water heater contains minerals that were not removed during purification. The minerals clump together and settle at the water tank's bottom or near the heating element. When it settles around the heating element, it means the element needs to overwork to deliver the required result, which causes water to heat too much or even damage the unit.

Where this is the problem with your water heater, you will need to drain the tank. With that, you can flush out all the water in the tank and the minerals blocking the heating element.

Another problem with the heating element is that it can actually stop working. This simply means the compartment heating the water heater stops working. While this is not a problem overheating, you still need to fix this for the unit to work.

Check the thermostat

A thermostat is an important compartment of the water heater because it is the part that determines whether the unit is off or on. When the thermostat starts to malfunction, two problems are possible: either the unit is not heating water or overheating. If you find out that this is the major cause of the problem, you will need to replace the thermostat.

Check the pressure relief valve

When the water heater is overheating, checking the pressure relief valve is another thing. The pressure valve works by allowing the steam from the water to escape outside. This effect helps reduce the temperature of the water and keep it right for bathing. However, where the pressure relief valve is blocked, it cannot release the steam, and the water keeps getting hot. Replacing the pressure relief valve is the only way to resolve this.

How do you prevent the water heater from overheating?

It is said that “prevention is much better than cure.” A statement that applies to even your home appliances. Preventing your water heater from overheating has a lot to do with how well you maintain it, and you can do that with either of the two options

Regular cleaning

Cleaning your water tank is an excellent way to maintain the system and prevent development faults like overheating. For instance, regular cleaning can help prevent sediment build-up. It can also remove minerals that could have caused the heating element to overwork.

Routine maintenance

Maintaining the unit is another way to prevent issues like overheating from occurring. For instance, engaging the service of a qualified plumber can prevent you from dealing with things like blocked valves because the plumber is expected to detect such things while servicing the unit. With this, you can easily prevent damage, carry out a timely repair, and put water heating in a good position.

Do not joke with the manual

The user manual that comes with your water heater should be appropriately kept to guide you when you are experiencing a tricky issue with your unit. With it, you can learn the best way to maintain the system and understand how to get to several parts of your water heater. In addition, this guide can help you locate things like the thermostat, fastening the repair process and saving you extra bucks.

Conclusion

The only way to ensure that you can enjoy the system for a long time without having to continuously fix it is to maintain it. Given that the system is not cheap, it is vital to ensure that you manage it properly to prevent damage that may need you to get another one. Things like regular cleaning and getting in contact with a qualified plumber are also good ways to keep maintenance at the core of usage and extend system durability.