Hot Water: 5 Water Heater Tricks That’ll Change Your Life

Water heaters are one of the household features that many people don’t give much thought to. If there aren’t any problems with your water or the heater itself, it doesn’t seem like you need to pay much attention.

Putting some thought into maintaining your water heater, though, can really make a difference when it comes to longevity, not to mention your bill. We’re going to give you some water heater tricks in this article, giving you some insight into how to make the most of what you have.

Hopefully, we’ll be able to help you reduce your bill as well as prevent the need for you to go out and buy a new heater any time soon.

Great Water Heater Tricks

If you use a lot of hot water, you might be surprised to know that your water could constitute a large portion of your energy bill. That is, depending on your use of other areas of energy.

The point is, little tweaks to your water heater or habits that you take on could reduce your energy bill significantly. The tips below may or may not work for you, but they could all lower your bill significantly.

1. Turn Down the Default Temperature

The average household water heater has a resting temperature of around 130 degrees, give or take. This is the temperature that the water sits at all times, even when you’re not using it.

It’s possible for you to adjust that setting, making it lower and greatly reducing the amount of energy you use to heat that water. You don’t have to dial it down all that much to reduce the cost.

Bring the temperature down to around 120 degrees, and make it cooler if you notice that your showers and sinks haven’t shown that much of a difference.

If you can sacrifice a little time for your faucets to heat up, turning the temperature down will cut costs by a large margin.

2. Prevent Disaster

Make sure that your temperature and pressure relief valve is functioning perfectly. This may require you to talk with a plumber or water heater specialist the first time.

This is a valve that controls the temperature and pressure, as the name suggests, meaning that malfunction could lead to an explosion. In the case of an explosion, you’re looking at significant structural damage to your home and the need to buy an entirely new heater.

In most cases, there’s a simple way to check if the valve is working. Simply lift up on the valve’s lever part of the way and then let it go back into its original spot. You should hear some water bubbling as it gets sent back down the drain.

If you don’t hear any sound after you perform this function, call a professional.

3. Use Insulation

Insulating your heater is a great idea because it provides a warmer coating for the machine, preventing it from turning on too often and keeping heat from escaping.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s specific instructions when doing this, though. The money you save in heating will be nothing compared to the cost of a fire or some other malfunction.

If you plan to insulate your heater but don’t know how it would be wise to consult with a plumber or water heater specialist before you do anything.

4. Be Mindful of Your Water Usage

You would be surprised by the volume of hot water you use every day. It doesn’t seem like an issue because we are so used to our routines, but there is a great deal of warm water running through our pipes on a regular basis.

Think of loads of laundry, sink usage, shower usage (especially in large families), and other ways that you might use your home’s water. Showering is one thing, but sinks and laundry usage don’t always need to include hot water.

If you can cut down on the amount of hot water you use in your home, you will be doing your wallet and your water heater a favor. While energy costs will certainly go down, you’ll also give your heater a little more life.

It may take a little while to break old habits and start new ones, but keep in mind the long-term benefit of reducing your hot water usage. There are thousands of tricks and tips floating around on how to cut down on water.

One, for example, is to place a small timer in your shower for when you use it. It could even be an hourglass.

If you have a timer for, say, seven minutes, you can get everything done in a short amount of time and get out at even intervals. We all spend hours per year standing in the shower, soaking up that energy bill.

5. Maintain and Update Your Machine

Ultimately, the best way to keep your heater running well and cut costs on the energy bill is to maintain it. You should also extend your idea of the water heater to all of the parts of your home it’s connected to.

That could mean your appliances and how well they maintain the temperature of the water, but it could also mean your pipes. Insulating your pipes is an excellent way to uphold the temperature of water in your home.

Cold, leaky pipes are bad for multiple reasons, and you’d be saving yourself a lot of trouble by repairing and insulating them.

Further, there are ways to optimize your water heater usage with technology. Smart technology now allows us to set timers for water heaters, turning them off and on at pre-set times that typically get the most use.

For example, if you don’t need your water heater for anything at night, it would be smart to turn it off as you sleep. It’s tedious to do that every morning and evening, though, so installing a timer can really help.

Need More Household Advice?

Hopefully, these water heater tricks will lead to a smaller energy bill next month. There are a lot of ways to cut back on costs, though, and we’re here to help.

Explore our site for more tips and tricks like the ones listed in this article!