A water heater is a device that is installed in almost every house or apartment. Thanks to him, you can provide maximum comfort to your family and yourself. However, there are times when it is necessary to repair the water heater, but the service cannot be called. All work can be done independently.
The most common malfunctions of water heaters
Regardless of the type of device, breakdowns in them can be the same:
- malfunction of the heater;
- problems with the thermostat;
- a large amount of scale on the inner walls of the tank (especially in storage devices);
- flow.
In principle, the minimum knowledge in the device is quite enough to make a repair of the water heater with your own hands.
How to get rid of scale inside the device?
Most often, the boiler stops working due to the thick layer of limescale on the walls and heating elements. Naturally, for the correct functioning of the unit, it is necessary to remove it. However, this must be done correctly so as not to damage the "inside" of the device.
Repair of the water heater in this case is carried out in the following sequence:
- Disconnect the device.
- We disassemble the device: first, the bottom cover is removed. To do this, unscrew the water supply tubes, drain all water from the tank (if a storage device is installed). If you are repairing a gas water heater, make sure that the flow of “blue fuel” is stopped (turn off the valve).
- Now unscrew the bolts that hold the heater. Do this carefully so as not to break the thread.
- Carefully inspect the heater. If it is too much stuck with scale, then it may not be possible to clean it 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.
- Now you can start cleaning the tank itself. To do this, you can use modern chemicals to remove scale. They are mainly effective. In certain cases, several cleaning methods must be combined. However, remember that aggressive substances or mechanical scrapers can damage the protective coating on the inside of the boiler and the body will quickly rust.
- Now flush the device, reassemble it in the reverse order, dry well, connect all the necessary pipes and hoses and check. If the heater is heated, the water does not leak, and everything works well, then everything is done correctly. If it was not possible to remove the lime layer yourself, still contact an experienced master.
Thermostat troubleshooting features
Regular inspection and repair of the water heater involves checking all the main components of the device. An important part of it is the thermostat. If it is inoperative, then the water will not heat up.
So, first you need to remove the thermostat. You may need to disassemble the device for this. Now check the resistance level of the part with the device in the Max position. If the tester does not show anything, then the thermostat is faulty. In this case, the repair of the water heater involves simply replacing the part, since it is already impossible to fix the breakdown in it.
If you have a control thermostat, it is necessary to check its resistance to resistance in the Min. In addition, try to heat the part with a lighter. If the thermal relay trips and the circuit opens, then the resistance arrow tends to infinity. If there is no reaction, simply replace the device.
Other troubleshooting considerations
Repairing an instantaneous water heater is not difficult. You just need to remove the cover and carefully inspect 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 tools that contribute to the dissolution of limescale. The most difficult step in this process is the proper assembly of the device. Do everything according to the instructions, try to seal all connections.
What to do if the water heater gave a leak? In this case, water can ooze both from the body of the device, and from the connections. If the second reason can be easily eliminated by tightening the nuts with additional thread sealing, then the first problem is most often beyond repair. In this case, you just have to throw the device away.
Sometimes you may notice that the unit is operating too noisy. This can happen if the device is not installed correctly. During installation of the device, try to comply with the level and all the necessary nuances indicated in the instructions.
DIY water heater repair is quite simple. However, if you do not understand the technique, it is better to enlist the support of an experienced master.