Your home’s water heater is out of sight, and in most cases it’s out of mind. At Whipple Plumbing, our regular maintenance and water heater service programs will keep your system functioning perfectly without an ounce of effort or hassle on your part.

Neglecting your water heater, on the other hand, can lead to major issues – and by major, we truly do mean major. They aren’t exactly common, but here are some of the worst possible issues that can result from a badly neglected water heater, plus how you can avoid them with simple prevention techniques.

Large-Scale Flooding

If you allow your water heater to degenerate to the point where it “dies” in your home, a flood can be a common result. The tank will rust through, eventually allowing gallons and gallons of water to flood into your home. This is often due to corrosion in the anode rod – this rod is designed to rust naturally so the tank doesn’t, but eventually it will completely rust away and the tank itself will begin to rust instead.

To prevent this kind of flood, our professionals will change the anode rod when needed – these come with different warranties, and they’ll require more frequent changes if you use a water softener.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Many water heaters use gas to heat the water, and if the heater is left unregulated for long enough, carbon monoxide gas can leak into the home and poison humans. Over 400 Americans die every year due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires, and many of these are from malfunctioning water heaters. Make sure your home has a CO detector, and ensure there are no obstructions in the bent. Finally, perform annual maintenance to make sure there are no gas issues in your heater.

Water Heater Explosions

This is a worst-case scenario, but water heaters can explode if they aren’t properly maintained. This usually happens when the temperature and pressure valve fails – enough pressure in the tank will cause it to burst. There are safeguards in water heaters to stop this from happening, but again, without proper maintenance, these safeguards can fail.

For more information on maintaining water heaters, or to find out about water damage or any of our other plumbing services, speak to the prost at Whipple Plumbing today.