Water heater maintenance

Sediment is the main enemy of a storage tank. Minerals drop out of the water and settle on the tank floor, where they insulate the burner from the water above, force longer run times, and accelerate corrosion. Flushing is a cheap annual service that directly buys you years.

The anode rod is the part almost nobody knows about and the one that decides how long the tank lives. It is a sacrificial metal rod that corrodes so the steel tank does not. Once it is consumed, the tank starts rusting. Replacing a spent anode is inexpensive; replacing a rusted-through tank is not.

On tankless, the equivalent job is descaling. Scale builds in the heat exchanger and is the main reason tankless units fail short of the roughly 20-year life expectancy ENERGY STAR cites. In hard-water areas this is a routine, scheduled service, not an optional extra.

Some of this is genuinely homeowner-doable on an electric tank. None of it is homeowner-doable on the gas side. Burner cleaning, combustion checks, and anything touching gas piping or venting belongs to a licensed pro. This is where carbon monoxide risk lives, and CPSC recommends a yearly professional inspection of fuel-burning appliances.

How to choose

Flush annually, more often with hard water

If your area has hard water or you see a lot of scale on fixtures, twice a year is not excessive. Ask your installer what they see locally.

Get the anode rod checked at year 3-5

Then on the interval the plumber recommends based on what they find. Waiting until year 10 to look at it usually means the damage is already done.

Test the T&P valve, and take a leak seriously

A relief valve that seeps afterward is telling you something. Replace the valve or diagnose the pressure — never plug it.

Book gas combustion checks yearly

CPSC advises an annual professional inspection of fuel-burning appliances, chimneys, flues, and vents. Bundle it with your furnace service if you can.

Set the temperature deliberately

Higher settings raise scald risk, especially with children or older adults in the house; very low settings raise other concerns. Pick a setting consciously and consider anti-scald mixing valves at fixtures.