water bolier advice

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

A few years ago there was a thread on here about water heaters and some basic maintenance to keep it healthy. Well in the past month or so in Tassie Winter my water temp has been noticeably cooler in the shower and I wondered if anyone remembered what I should do before I call a plumber out?

cheers Graham

[PCH (Paul)]

What sort of heater Graham? Instantaneous electric or gas storage?

It could be just that you need to turn up the thermostat in deep winter a bit.

Is the pressure still ok?

[rrussell1962]

Do you have a tempering valve fitted to the hot water supply? If so it might be worth checking it is still operating correctly.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Its an electric heater under the house- an immersion heater I think. I have no idea what brand it is- I can check later. I am not sure if it is instantaneous I don't think it is.

[brisen (Brian)]

There should be a relief valve on the system -usually near the top and it should have a pipe coming out of it. If you release the valve by pulling on the lever until hot water comes out of the attached pipe this should fix the issue with the water being cold. You then do this every few months and the problem seems to not return.

Brian

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

that's what I was looking for- cheers mate!!

[pmrid (Peter)]

Electric heaters contain a slave element - a metal rod that usually sits in the top and is designed to interact chemically with the various heavy metals etc that are in the water. Over time those rods are eaten away to the point where - if not replaced sooner -they cease to perform their design function and your heater becomes clogged up with all the things you don't want. This may well be your issue. Best check with the manufacturer and ask about replacements for the anode.
Peter

[The_bluester (Paul)]

I will put in a second vote for checking the tempering valve if your system has one. They are designed to reduce the hot water temp you can get and from memory should be set so that they hottest water you can get at the nearest hot tap is 50 degrees (The Kitchen sink tap may be excluded form this)

From memory they have a filter in them and anodic stuff which has been eroded from the sacrificial anode (If your system has one) or the tank itself can slowly block it. Eventually it will reduce hot water flow by enough that you can't get properly hot water from the taps any more.