How to make better use of your home water heater during cold weather

There are several ways to make the boiler that is in our house more effective and efficient, if it has not expired in its useful life. Otherwise, it is best to replace the collector with a new one, and with greater energy efficiency.

Some tips are really useful, especially when we face the winter cold in the northernmost cities of America. For this reason, it is essential to know how to adjust certain objects of the water heating system, so that the parameters benefit us, even without having to spend a lot on gas.

Basics for getting more hot water from the boiler

• Set thermostat to higher temperature. This is a very useful recommendation in cold climates. And, since the incoming water is colder than usual, then the system must be readjusted so that it warms up just in time, before getting into the shower. It is necessary to know that the water is advised to be at 120 °F, which would result in significant energy savings. On the other hand, beyond 135 °F, the vital fluid can be lethal to the skin, causing significant injury. To avoid these kinds of incidents, then it is recommended…
• Install mixing valves. This appliance, installed to the water heater, can be essential to modulate the high temperatures, thus protecting children and the elderly against burns to their hands and feet. What the

  

  device does is add cold water so that hot water does not enter the pipes fully. This could also work in reverse, preventing the cold liquid from entering the tank every time it is extracted, thus promoting savings, since the collector will not work forcibly to increase the temperature.

• Or passive heating, which takes place through an alternative water heater, which serves to preheat the liquid, before it enters the main tank. This could save energy substantially, and more if we use ecological technologies, such as the solar boiler. In fact, this device is widely used in the industry as a preheater, to then pass such liquid to the main manufacturing functions.
• Install two-handle faucets. These units are used to isolate cold water from hot water, minimizing temperature exchange times. It is an effective way of not having to deal with very low temperatures when washing hands or showering.

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  Cleaning sediment from the tank will allow for more hot water during the winter.

• Tap cartridges can cause very low temperatures; you have to fix these. Likewise, it is necessary to check whether there are no leaks or drips that could be affecting the entire system.
• The anode of the tank must be inspected, in a period of two years minimum, and five years maximum. Precisely, the anode rod prevents oxidation in the boiler tank.
• The drain valve must be measured by a pressure gauge. You have to install this to the system, but keeping in mind that setting the pressure gauge above 80 psi could eventually cause damage to the water heater and the entire system in general, such as pipes and other plumbing throughout the house. In this sense, to avoid such incidents, you can choose to install a pressure reducing valve.
• In the case of the electric boiler, the thermostats can eventually suffer from improper calibration, irregular temperatures and even, melting. The same thing happens with thermostats for gas water collectors, which usually have the same symptoms when they start to fail. In that sense, when these devices begin to show damage to the heating system, then they must necessarily be replaced.

In general, there are many things that can be done to improve the performance of the water heaters in your home. But to get higher margins for energy savings, it may be time to consider a change to these systems.