The best reason to open your vents is to help your heating and cooling systems last longer. Keeping your vents open prevents overheating and freezing in your furnace and air conditioner. Moving furniture a couple inches away from vents also makes a big difference.
On the flip side, when you close your vents, it creates excess pressure in the ductwork and the furnace. For the system to function well, the motors would have to work many times harder than normal when they’re closed.
Whenever new water flows into your water heater, gravity pulls sand and other minerals down to the bottom of the tank.
That sediment layer builds up and acts like insulation, blocking the heat from reaching the water.
That makes heating the water take longer, which needs more fuel.
Sediment also takes up a lot of space, which leaves less room for water. It’s almost like your tank shrinks and gives you less hot water.
But if you flush all that sediment out, you can solve most of those problems.
In fact, flushing your water heater on a regular schedule can even double its lifespan!
Whether your vents are open or closed, your heating and cooling system will try to move the amount of air it was designed to. Some people think closing vents will save them money because they won’t be heating or cooling rooms they don’t use. But the opposite is true.
By closing the vents, you’re not only not saving money, you’re spending more money. That's because it's shortening the life of key components and the overall life of the system.
An anode rod is a sacrificial metal rod that sits inside your water heater to protect it from corrosive junk in your water.
It attracts those minerals, which stick to it and eat the rod away instead of the tank.
If your anode rod dissolves too much, the minerals will go back to attacking the tank.
That makes it important to check it every year to see if you need to replace it, even though it is a little trickier to get at.
Doing any one of the things listed above will help your water heater work better.
But the way to help it work its best is to do them all at least once a year.
You can try to do your regular maintenance yourself or you can call a licensed plumber to take care of it for you.
Either way, keeping on top of it can save you thousands and help you enjoy these cold days a lot more.
As you try to stay cozy this winter, don’t forget your water heater!
If you’d like a hand with your water heater maintenance, Any Hour Services would love to help.
One of our licensed plumbers can work with you to make sure your water heater is working at its peak.
Just give us a call or schedule an appointment online today!
