Water Heater Troubleshooting Tips

Water heaters are essential components of any home. They provide hot water for showers, dishes, laundry, and more. However, like all appliances, they can sometimes suffer from operational issues that can disrupt the flow of hot water in your home. Fortunately, there are some simple troubleshooting tips you can use to get your water heater up and running again as quickly as possible. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Check the Circuit Breaker or Pilot Light

The first step in troubleshooting a water heater is to check whether the circuit breaker or pilot light has been activated. If the circuit breaker has been tripped or the pilot light has gone out, simply reset it or relight it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This should restore power to your water heater and may resolve any issues with it.

Adjust the Temperature

Sometimes an issue with your water heater may be caused by an incorrect temperature setting. Make sure to adjust your thermostat to a safe setting—generally 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit—and then test it out by running some hot water in another part of your home and checking its temperature. If there’s still an issue with heating the water, you may need to consult a professional repair service to investigate further.

Flush the Tank

Another way to troubleshoot a malfunctioning water heater is to flush out its tank periodically. Over time, sediment can build up in the tank, which reduces its efficiency and affects its ability to heat up properly. To flush it out, turn off both cold and hot water supplies before disconnecting them from the unit. Then open both faucets on top of the tank and let them run until no more sediment comes out of it—this should generally take about 20 minutes or so, depending on how much sediment has built up inside the tank itself.

Water heaters are essential components of any home. Unfortunately, they do have their fair share of problems from time to time that can affect their performance. Luckily, most of these issues can be resolved through basic troubleshooting fixes like checking circuit breakers or pilot lights, adjusting temperature settings, and flushing out tanks periodically for sediment buildup prevention. Of course, suppose none of these tips resolve your issue. In that case, it’s best to contact our experts at EJ Plumbing for further help in diagnosing and resolving any deeper mechanical problems you may have with your unit!