| Yuck. The water at your beach cottage or rural | | | | coffee pot and your hot water tank as well. This |
| home may taste just terrible. On top of that your | | | | translates into more electrical or gas costs , |
| water heater may "gurgle" or make sounds and | | | | depending on the type of water tank you have , |
| noises like its ready to take off to the moon. | | | | slower heat ups of the water tank requiring longer |
| What to do? For the most part it comes down to | | | | waits for hot water after showers or hot water |
| regular maintenance of your water heater by simply | | | | clothes washing and ultimately less hot water and |
| draining the hot water tank on a regular basis. It's | | | | greater energy and heating costs. |
| similar to maintenance with a car. Those who change | | | | Why does this occur mainly in utensils and appliances |
| their oil on a regular basis don't seem to have any of | | | | that are mainly used with heating water? The answer |
| the car maintenance problems (often associated with | | | | is it is lime buildup. Lime will emerge especially from |
| costly repairs) that those that do not pay as much | | | | "hard" or "harder water". When water is hot, as in |
| attention to their property do. On top of that at | | | | your water heater or kettle, the lime "leaches" out of |
| least your car usually can be driven to the repair | | | | the water onto your appliance and its surface. The |
| shop. However with plumbing and water repairs it | | | | hotter the water the more lime is deposited. |
| often involves a costly plumber tradesman visit to | | | | Interestingly enough the hotter you set the |
| your home or cottage. Not only do you have | | | | thermostat on your water heater and the more hot |
| tradesman labor rates to deal with, but travel time | | | | water you use the greater the risk and incidence of |
| for the highly paid technical expert as well. It's not | | | | lime mineral deposits. |
| too bad if you are in living or working in a property in | | | | What to do? The answer is fairly simple .On the |
| the city but try to get a professional to come out | | | | bottom of your water heater will be a drain that |
| for the call - whether it's a time, cost or water | | | | simply opens as a faucet. Drain the water heater on |
| considerations. You can try to use the local | | | | a regular ongoing basis out of the drain hole. You can |
| handymen if you wish. However in dealing with | | | | attach a standard garden hose to the threads on the |
| cottage or vacation properties these people are | | | | drain outlet - it is designed for that. Alternatively if |
| often work seasonally or sporadically. | | | | space under the draining hole and logistics allow you |
| The problem in your water tank is most likely giving | | | | can fill a pail or pails with the water you release and |
| you the headache, noise and poor water taste and | | | | drain off. It's best to do this procedure on an ongoing |
| quality is most likely from mineral lime accumulations in | | | | and regular basis - once a month or bi-monthly or so. |
| your hot water tank. Its not the water source - or | | | | The key is a regular and ongoing maintenance |
| the water coming into your abode that is causing the | | | | schedule for your hot water tank. One word of |
| grief, If you water kettle or coffee pot seems to | | | | caution - if you have an electric water heater tank, if |
| accumulate mineral deposits (usually white) inside, | | | | you plan to fully drain the tank of water, it is best to |
| that is a tip off that your water has a high mineral | | | | return off the power to the tank. If the electrical |
| content., just waiting to be deposited in your kitchen | | | | element in the hot water tank is not immersed in |
| water appliances and in this case your water heater. | | | | water and the thermostat turns it on to heat water, |
| As well you may of noticed that when the inside of | | | | a dry water heater element can be ruined and |
| your coffee pot or tea kettle is coasted with the | | | | non-functional in a flash. Simply turn of the electrical |
| white mineral coating that it takes a lot longer and | | | | power to the tank at the circuit breaker board while |
| requires more heat to boil or simply heat up the | | | | completing this process. |
| water. The crystalline minerals cover the pots metal | | | | By following the simple steps of regular maintenance |
| surface, shielding it from heat transmission and in | | | | of your hot water heater by carefully draining the |
| effect becoming a heat insulator. A heat insulator is | | | | water of the hot water tank you will be rewarded |
| fine for saving heat and heating costs in your | | | | with faster, more tasty hot water throughout the |
| cottage but in this case it's not a good idea. It takes | | | | year with less energy costs as well to heat the |
| more energy and time to heat up the kettle or | | | | water to hot. |