5 Easy Ways to Warmer Showers and Lower Hot Water Bills

Posted by admin on April 11, 2016, at 5:31 pm

Henscey Heating Repair and Installation wants you to enjoy a warm, comfortable winter in your beautiful Dayton home. With just a few easy steps, you can increase the efficiency of your hot water system and lower the cost of heating the water in your home year round.

Drain the Hot Water Tan

Sediments build up in your tank over time that severely restrict heat transfer between the burner and the water in the tank. If you drain a few gallons of water from the bottom of the tank once or twice a year, you will minimize this sediment deposition and save money on energy and equipment replacement costs.

To drain the tank, run a hose from the drain valve to your floor drain or to the outside of your house. Turn off the power or set the gas to “pilot” before you open the valve. Run water from the tank until the water is clear.

Insulate Your Hot Water Pipes

As hot water travels through the pipes between your water heater and your kitchen or bathroom, it loses heat to the air around the pipes. You can cut these energy losses significantly by insulating the hot water pipes everywhere you can get access to them, especially where they run in unheated spaces such as a crawl space or attic. You can buy pre-cut foam insulation that’s the right size for your pipes at your local hardware or plumbing supply store.

Insulate Your Water Tank

A conventional storage-tank water heater loses a lot of energy as the hot water sits unused inside the tank, cooling off between heater firing cycles. If you have an older water heater that lacks sufficient internal insulation, adding an insulating jacket to the outside of the tank can contribute to reducing water-heating bills. Be sure to follow manufacturer’s instructions if you insulate your water tank so you’re not compromising the system’s safety.

Storage-tank water heaters manufactured in recent years are usually insulated well enough at the factory that you do not need to add external insulation to reduce heat losses. You can get a good idea of how much heat your tank is losing by carefully feeling the top and sides of the tank between firing cycles to see if it’s warm to the touch.

Lower the Water Heater Thermostat Setting

Your water heater probably has a temperature control knob with markings for very hot to warm settings, but no precise temperature scale. To reduce your water temperature to 120 degrees, first measure the hot water temperature at the faucet farthest from your water heater. Adjust the control knob on your heater down in small increments, letting the tank stabilize for a couple of hours after each adjustment, until the heater is providing water at the temperature you want.

Reduce Hot Water Use

Save energy by reducing how much hot water you use. Install low-flow devices on kitchen and bathroom faucets and shower heads. Do most of your laundry in cold water. Avoid excessive rinsing of dishes, or rinse dishes in cold water, before you put them in the dishwasher. Don’t run the dishwasher until it’s fully loaded.

Your home needs a reliable heating contractor to provide the services that keep the winter chill at bay. At Henscey Heating Repair and Installation our heating specialists are factory-trained and NATE-certified to ensure their expertise. The key cold-weather services we provide — which include heating repair, maintenance service agreements and installation — are your assurance of dependable winter warmth.