Hot summer days have most folks cooling off in various ways, from taking colder showers to kids running around in sprinklers. All you can think about is the refreshing feel of cold water, giving you a reprieve from the summer heat.
From summer’s high temperatures, many assume you shouldn’t pay your water heater any mind. However, there are various good reasons to reset your water as it’s a big part of your home’s plumbing.
Understand why resetting your water heater this summer can help!
The Purpose of a Water Heater
What a water heater does is quite self-explanatory. A water heater is meant to heat water. How does it do this? Well, the water heater takes cold water from a water supply pipe, then warms it up. From there, it pumps the warmer water to distribute throughout your home.
A water heater is an integral part of your plumbing as it provides warm water for various uses.
These include:
- Showering
- Washing your hands
- Cooking
- Cleaning
In which case, the warm water created is potable. That means it’s safe for usage when cooking and cleaning.
Why Reset Your Water Heater
Many with a water heater might not be aware that it continually produces hot water – even when you’re not using it. For colder days, its production is quite nice when you’re being met with warm water for your morning shower. However, that’s not the case when summer hits.
In the summer months, you’re using less warm water since the heat usually has you using more cold water. In which case, you unwittingly have warmer water to be produced for no real reason. As a result, it can have unexpected drawbacks.
By resetting your water heater, you can adjust and control the temperature easier and not have to worry about wasting anything produced.
Here are a few reasons why resetting your water heater is best for the summer:
Save on Money
As established earlier, you’re not going to need heated water much during the summer. If anything, your usage of it will decrease during this time. In which case, you don’t want to pay for it when you’re not even using it. Summer utilities can already get rather pricey when you have an air conditioner running to help you keep cool during hot days. However, you can help reduce costs by adjusting the temperature of your water heater. In this way, you’re not wasting energy consumption, and you don’t need to pay so much on your energy bill.
Helps the Environment
Nowadays, people are looking for more ways they can make greener choices in their daily lives. If you’re unsure of where to start, you can begin by resetting your water heater’s temperature this summer. As you know, your water heater is usually always running and creates immense energy consumption as a result. However, when the temperature is reduced, it will naturally lead to less energy consumption. Therefore, you’re helping to conserve natural resources and will help the environment.
Ensures Safety
Everything gets hot during the summer – even your water heater. Sure, water heaters are meant to make cold water warmer, but the extra heat can create a safety issue if it isn’t reset. As your water heater continues to produce warm water, it can combine with higher ambient temperatures to create incredibly hot water. In which case, you don’t want to turn on the shower and be met with scalding hot water. You can avoid this by lowering the water heater’s temperature by a few degrees.
How to Reset Your Water Heater
Not all water heaters are the same. Depending on what system you have, the process of resetting your water heater can vary.
Water heaters that are tankless models can use the digital control panel to adjust the temperature. Meanwhile, for gas or electrical, you must locate the thermostat on the exterior or interior of the appliance to adjust the temperature as you wish. Models with top and bottom thermostats both need to change. You will want to wait a few minutes before testing the temperature to ensure it matches the thermostat readout.
However, you want to make sure you don’t make a drastic temperature change. If you go too long, you risk the possibility of creating a breeding ground for bacteria in your water heater or even your pipes. A good sweet spot to aim for would be between 110 and 120 degrees. In doing so, you can safely reduce your energy consumption while saving money!
A water heater might not be as useful during the summer. However, you can control its usage and save yourself on energy costs by resetting your water heater’s temperature. In this way, you can enjoy your summer without sweating over your water heater.
