No home or business is complete without a hot water heater, but most people take water heater services for granted – and why shouldn’t they? Under the best circumstance, a hot water heater works almost magically, heating water silently, and then pumping it to a sink or shower when needed without little human intervention. Occasionally, you may walk by the room where the unit is installed and hear a slight “woosh” sound when water is being heated, but if you don’t hear any sound – and water is cold or not flowing properly – then there may be a problem.
Tropic Air has been providing high quality water heater services in the Greater Toronto Area since 1992, specifically in the areas of installation, cleaning, maintenance, and repair for residential and commercial customers.
Water Heater Installation
There are many factors to be considered when it’s time to install a new hot water heater. Some of the most obvious are the number of people in the household, how many baths and sinks will be served by heated water, whether the residence or business is multi-level or zoned, whether clothing will be washed on the premises, how many gallons of water it should accommodate, and so forth. A reputable water heater services contractor will discuss all of these with you in detail, but if he doesn’t then it’s time to look elsewhere. Many customers rush to get a hot water heater installed because of a pressing need, but at Tropic Air we take pride in educating customers on the ins and outs of the process.
Water Heater Cleaning
In an ideal situation, a hot water heater will provide 40 to 50 gallons of heated water on demand, more than enough to service a large household or small office or retail setting. Part of what makes this possible is keeping the unit clean. Our professional staff is more than happy to clean your hot water heater, which normally involves draining the unit, cleaning the tank with a wire brush to loosen accumulated sediment, refilling the tank, then allowing the water to drain. In most cases you’ll notice the water is dirty, in which case the cleaning process may need to be repeated.
Water Heater Maintenance
With simple maintenance, the average hot water heater can last a decade or more. For the most part, an annual three-step maintenance process is all that’s needed to keep a unit working at optimum efficiency. These steps are checking the water temperature setting, testing the temperature and pressure (T&P) relief valve, and flushing and cleaning the unit. We already talked about how to clean a hot water heater, but checking the temperature to make sure it’s never more than 120 degrees will save overall energy usage. If the T&P valve isn’t working right – if it doesn’t snap back into place when pulled out, and doesn’t make gurgling sounds as it releases water into the drain tube – then it needs to be replaced.
Water Heater Repair
The final component of water heater services is repairing units when necessary. This may be as simple as repairing or installing new pipes or the T&P relief valve, or tasks that require professional assistance from Tropic Air. If you have questions about your hot water heater and are deciding on new installation versus repairs, give us a call and we’ll help educate you about the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Finally, the professionals at Tropic Air are on call, day or night. We can be reached in person at our office, on the phone, or via email through our website.