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Comfort Matters Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing Blog

Why a Leaking Water Heater Can’t Wait

If your water heater is leaking, you should treat it as a priority. This is because if your water heater leaks, air is getting into the tank and increasing the risk of corrosion. If rust develops inside of your water heater, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have to replace it.

If you have a leaking water heater in Eden Prairie, MN, give our team a call today to schedule your service. You can keep reading to learn more about why water heater leaks are so problematic and some of the common causes. When you check your water heater regularly and stay on top of maintenance and repairs, you can help your water heater enjoy a much longer lifespan.

What’s Wrong with Water Heater Leaks?

Leaks can actually be one of the biggest problems a water heater can face. Air can get into the water heater where water leaks out of a weak spot because the unit is no longer airtight. You might be wondering why air is so bad for a water heater. 

Water heaters are pressurized in a specific way to help prevent corrosion. Although they have inside liners to help protect against corrosion, as the system ages, these liners can wear down. When oxygen gets into the tank, the risk of corrosion increases significantly. Corrosion leads to rust, and rust is a death sentence for your water heater.

Why Is Rust Dangerous?

Once rust begins to develop, there is no way to repair or reverse it. The rust will only continue to grow and spread within your water heater until it eats through the tank and makes holes. Rust can spread to valves and connections to weaken your water heater as a whole.

Tips for Preventing Leaks

The best way to prevent rust is by preventing leaks from ever happening to begin with. You can do this by completing monthly checks on your water heater to monitor for leaks so you can catch them early. You can also schedule an annual maintenance checkup with our team of professional technicians so that we can inspect your water heater and address problems before they ever have the opportunity to lead to leaks. 

But if you have concerns in between maintenance appointments, don’t put off service. Call us right away and we can check out your water to fix any problems now instead of waiting months to do so. You can even call us to just talk about something unusual you noticed and ask whether it requires service or not. Proactivity goes a long way toward preventing water leaks. 

During a maintenance appointment, we will open up your tank to flush it out and remove the mineral buildup if you have hard water. After all, minerals can be very abrasive and wear down the interior lining of your water heater, making rust even more likely. 

After flushing out the tank with some vinegar, we will check all the connections and valves. If any need to be replaced, we can do that. We can also update you on your water heater’s condition year after year so you’ll know in advance when it’s time to begin planning a replacement. 

Contact Comfort Matters Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing today to schedule an appointment with our professionals. With you through THE HIGHS & LOWS!

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