Water heater repair: types of breakages and how to eliminate them

A water heater is a device that is installed in almost every house or apartment. Thanks to him you will be able to provide maximum comfort to your family and yourself. However, there are times when you need to repair the heater, and the service can not be called. All work can be done independently.

Most common faults in water heaters

Regardless of the type of device, the breakdowns in them can be the same:

• Malfunction heater;
• Problems with the operation of the thermostat;
• A large amount of scale on the internal walls of the tank (especially in storage devices);
• flow.

In principle, minimal knowledge of the device is enough to make the repair of the water heater with his own hands.

How to get rid of the scale inside the device?

Most often the boiler stops working because of a thick layer of calcareous deposits on the walls and heating elements. Naturally, for correct functioning of the unit it is necessary to remove it. However, this must be done correctly, so as not to damage the "insides" of the device.

The repair of the water heater in this case is carried out in the following sequence:

1. We disconnect the device.
2. We disassemble the device: first the bottom cover is removed. To do this, unscrew the water supply pipes, drain all the water from the tank (if a storage type device is installed). If you are repairing a gas water heater, make sure that the supply of "blue fuel" is terminated (close the valve).
3. Now unscrew the bolts that hold the TEN. Do this carefully so as not to break the thread.
4. Carefully inspect the heater. If it is too much covered with scum, then, perhaps, it can not be cleaned and will have to be replaced with a new one. Also pay attention to the magnesium anode. Most often, instead of the old element, a new one is installed without cleaning.
5. Now you can start cleaning the tank itself. For this you can use modern chemical means to remove scale. Basically they are effective. In certain cases it is necessary to combine several methods of cleaning. However, remember that aggressive substances or mechanical scrapers can damage the protective coating of the inside of the boiler, and the casing will quickly rust.
6. Now flush the device, assemble it in the reverse order, dry it well, connect all necessary tubes and hoses and check. If the heater gets warm, the water does not leak, and everything works well, then everything is done right. If you have not been able to remove the lime layer yourself, contact an experienced craftsman.

Features of troubleshooting the thermostat

Regular inspection and repair of the water heater provides for the verification of all the main parts of the apparatus. An important part of it is the thermostat. If it is in an inoperative state, the water will not heat up.

So, first you need to remove the thermostat. Probably, for this purpose it is necessary to disassemble the device. Now check the resistance level of the part with the instrument in the Max position. If the tester does not show anything, then the thermostat is defective. In this case, the repair of the heater provides for simply replacing the part, since it is already impossible to repair the failure.

If you experience a control thermostat, you must check its resistance to the position in Min. In addition, try to heat the part with a lighter. If the thermostat has tripped and the circuit has opened, then the resistance arrow tends to infinity. If there is no reaction, simply replace the device.

Features of other troubleshooting

Repair of a flow-through water heater is not difficult. You just need to remove the lid and carefully examine its "insides". Most often you can see a thick layer of scale on the heat exchanger. Dealing with this problem is easy enough. You need to remove the heat exchanger and treat it with special means that help dissolve the lime scale. The most difficult stage in this process is the correct assembly of the device. Do all the instructions, try to seal all the connections.

What can I do if the water heater leaks? At the same time, water can flow both from the device body and from the connections. If the second reason is simple enough to eliminate by tight tightening of nuts with additional thread sealing, the first problem is most often not repairable. In that case, you just have to throw the device away.

Sometimes you may notice that the unit is too noisy. This can happen if the unit is not installed correctly. During installation of the device, try to observe the level and all the necessary nuances specified in the instructions.

Repair of water heaters with their own hands is quite simple. However, if you do not understand the technique, it is better to enlist the support of an experienced master.