When a water heater malfunctions, it can leak fumes into your home. This can happen if the temperature/pressure relief valve isn’t working correctly. This can cause catastrophic combustion and significant damage or bodily injury to anyone in the house. Make sure your vents are clear. If you see soot on the water heater or burner, odorless CO gas is entering the house, and you should call your plumber immediately.
Turn Off the Power
It is crucial to ensure your water heater’s power supply is turned off when dealing with water heater repair in New Braunfels. This is done to keep the tank from receiving any fresh water while you are working on it and to prevent causing more harm.
This means locating your home’s circuit breaker and turning it off for electric water heaters. For gas water heaters, this is a matter of locating the gas valve on your water heater and turning it to the off position.
This is especially important if you are worried about a leak in your home’s plumbing system or an issue with the gas valve on your water heater. Leaks and issues with the gas valve can cause flooding in your home and even explosions.
If you are concerned about a leak, it is recommended that you use tape or string to create a boundary around your water heater and any appliances like washing machines or dryers in your home. This will help keep children and pets away from them while you are performing maintenance or repairing them.
Keep Children and Pets Away
Just because your water heater is not a boiling pot on an open flame doesn’t mean you can let your kids or pets wander over to play with it. They could scald themselves with the hot water. Water heater safety ensures you don’t experience accidental injuries or property damage during repairs.
If your gas line is connected to the water heater, it will require a professional to inspect for serious problems, like leaks or corrosion. These issues may lead to carbon monoxide poisoning and potentially dangerous explosions.
When your plumber works on your water heater, keeping children and pets away from the area is best. A child or pet could get in the way or make a mess during the process, which can delay completion and increase your bill.
Your water heater can also emit harmful fumes, such as natural gas. Since these gases are colorless and odorless, they can be hard to detect. A gas leak is a significant problem that needs to be dealt with immediately, as it puts your family’s lives in danger.
Get Rid of Combustible Materials
It is vital to regularly check around your water heater to ensure no flammable materials are around it. Flammable materials like paint, chemicals, gasoline, and rags should be kept far from the water heater.
These materials can quickly start a fire when stored close to a gas water heater. They also give off dense, toxic black smoke that can be difficult to breathe. Foam cups, utensils, and other items can also burn up very quickly when stored close to a water heater.
If you have a natural gas water heater, keep the garage where it is installed free of combustible materials. It should also be elevated so the pilot and burner are at least 18 inches above the floor or per local building codes and manufacturer’s instructions. Keeping the space clear of combustible material will help ensure all combustion by-products are vented outside the house and not inside the home, where they can be deadly. Dampers should never be installed on vent pipes because they can restrict airflow, creating back-drafting resulting in deadly carbon monoxide fumes entering your house.
Have a Carbon Monoxide Monitor Installed
You may hear about carbon monoxide poisoning concerning furnaces, but gas water heaters can also cause it. This is because they don’t always have proper ventilation and can release CO if there is an issue with the venting or heat exchanger. This gas has no smell or color and can be deadly in large amounts. You can prevent it by having your water heater professionally inspected and regularly performing maintenance. Installing a carbon monoxide detector will warn of dangerous gas levels.
Carbon monoxide detectors have sensors that will pick up on the gas and alert you of its presence, similar to how smoke detectors work. They are required by most states to be installed within 10 feet of every room lawfully used for sleeping in new and renovated single-family homes, apartments, condominiums, and rented or leased rooms in one and two-family dwellings. While it is rare for carbon monoxide to leak from a water heater, it does happen. Lengthy exposure to low-level CO can be just as dangerous as short periods of higher levels.
Change the Settings Before Going on Vacation
Changing your water heater’s settings before going on vacation is essential. Doing so saves energy and decreases the chances of your home suffering damage while you are gone.
For most people, the best option is to set their water heater to “vacation mode.” This setting drops your water heater’s temperature and conserves energy. It also helps prevent frozen pipes and keeps your plumbing warm.
Leaving your water heater in vacation mode will still provide hot water when you return. However, you should never turn your water heater off while you are away because doing so can cause serious problems.
To save energy and secure your home while on vacation, adjust your water heater to Vacation Mode, lower the thermostat, and unplug unnecessary electronics. This simple step can reduce your energy bill by up to 10% and prevent burglars from targeting your home. You can also put lights around your house on timers so that they will come on at certain times during the day while
