Are you wondering how to test your water heater valve? Check out these 5 tips and tricks to make sure everything is working properly.
When it comes to keeping your home warm and cozy, hot water is extremely important.
That’s why a broken heater can have such a huge impact on your quality of living. When the water runs cold it’s only natural to want the issue fixed as quickly as possible.
There are plenty of components keeping your water heater running, and any of them can break suddenly – including the water heater valve.
Luckily, there are plenty of things that you can do to ensure your valve is functioning well and isn’t at immediate risk of collapse or breakage. This article will provide some useful tips and tricks.
First: What Is a Water Heater Drain Valve?
The water heater valve is instrumental to the safe operation of your water heater. It is the part that releases water and lowers the pressure inside the tank when it gets too high.
This can happen as a knock-on effect if other parts malfunction, so it’s important that the water heater valve works.
If your thermostat malfunctions, this can send the temperature in your tank soaring: the valve will open itself to relieve the excess pressure by releasing steam. When the water heater drain valve doesn’t work, this pressure can build up. Left unchecked, your water tank could explode.
How to Test Your Water Heater Valve
1. Check Your Heater Control Valve Regularly
It’s all well and good to test your heater control valve every once in a while, but if left too long, you’re putting yourself at risk of an undiscovered issue. One that you will only find out about when it’s too late.
That’s why it’s important to check your water heater and valve at regular intervals.
Depending on the condition of your heater tank, you can check as often as you feel it is necessary, whether that’s every three months or once a year. We recommend checking every 6 months.
To make sure you’re checking often enough, make a note after every test. Then, consider setting a reminder that will notify you when it’s time to test your valve again.
2. Know the Common Problems
Being aware of what to look for can save you time, money, and stress. There’s no point in checking your valve if you don’t know what’s normal and what isn’t.
There are a number of common valve issues, but there are also plenty of ways to recognize them.
A leaking valve can have a significant effect on your heater tank. This is because it will keep the pressure low. Be sure to check around the valve and below it for signs of leaking.
Debris or rust can also cause valve failure. When testing your valve, look for corrosion or blockages that might have arisen since your last check.
In the colder seasons, it’s worth remembering that freezing temperatures can also cause your heater valve to malfunction. This may warrant doing extra checks in the winter.
3. Test the Valve Properly
In order to test your heater tank’s valve, there are some steps you must follow.
First, lift the valve up and down several times. This should activate the attachments and allow hot water to flow out of the drainpipe.
The sound of fluid gurgling should be expected. That is the valve letting water into the drain tube. If you do not hear a sound, make sure this is happening. It should be more than a trickle, so if not much is released, it’s time to contact a plumber.
If the test shows no sign of a fault, close the valve.
Make sure that water stops coming through once the valve is shut. If more comes out, check for blockages creating openings.
4. Be Careful of the Heat
Though it might sound obvious, it’s incredibly important to remember how hot your water tank can get. Do not touch it until you’ve made sure that it’s cool enough to do so.
Once you’ve tested your heater valve, you need to make sure that the temperature is at a safe level, to avoid injury when using your hot water.
The ideal temperature maximum is somewhere around 120 Fahrenheit. This will be suitably hot without burning or scalding your skin.
The water pressure should sit somewhere between 50 and 60 psi, so be sure to check this to complete a safe examination of your heater and valve.
Heat is produced by your water tank, and this demands certain materials be used for parts. If you suspect that any part of your tank is not built from heat-resistant materials, you should look into changing this for safety reasons.
5. Only Attempt Simple Fixes
Of all the things that can go wrong with your water heater mixing valve, many of them can be fixed at home with some cleaning or careful repair work. However, there are things that can go wrong with your valve that simply can’t be fixed without help from an expert.
Though it might be tempting to try and undertake a home fix on a serious fault, it’s not worth the risk.
By trying to do overly complicated water heater repairs yourself, you put yourself in danger. You also risk making the problem worse, or setting yourself up for a worse problem down the line.
For difficult issues, call a professional water heater repair company. It’ll be worth it to get your valve in tip-top shape.
Checking Your Valve Is Simple
Now that you know how to check your heater valve, you can rest easy knowing that it’s less likely to break and leave you without hot water. Your heater tank only needs those regular checks to keep working as it should.
If you’re looking for help with a valve or another fix on your tank, the experts can help. Be sure to get in touch with us at (402) 731-2727 – your heater will be warming you up again in no time!