Freedom Home Warranty

Maintain Your Water Heater

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Everyone wants to save money in the long run, especially when it comes to their greatest investment, their home. When it comes to replacing the water heater, the price will tank your savings and drain the smile from your face. Sediment can build up in the water heater tank, creating a nasty barrier between the water and the heating elements, making the system work harder to heat your home’s water.

water heater freedom home warranty
With a protection plan from Freedom Home Warranty, your water heater is covered as long as you maintain your appliance. Don’t chance ruining your tank, follow this easy guide and ensure your water is hot and your home is happy.

Increase the lifespan of your water heater and help it run more efficiently by flushing your water heater at least every three years. The process is so easy, you could add it to your yearly appliance maintenance checklist. With a protection plan from Freedom Home Warranty, your water heater is covered as long as you maintain your appliance. Don’t chance ruining your tank, follow this easy guide and ensure your water is hot and your home is happy.

  1. Turn Your Water Heater OFF/PILOT

Depending on if your water heater is electric or gas, you will be turning off the heat source, electricity or gas, so the water can cool down. Make sure no one is trying to shower or run a load of laundry while you flush out the sediment. NOTE: You may need to relight your pilot light once all the steps are done.

  1. Turn Off the Cold Water Valve to Stop Supply of Water

Cold water is brought into the water heater and heated. Once this valve is turned off, the tank won’t continuously fill with water while your trying to drain it. The cold water valve is usually located near the top of the water heater with a blue knob.

  1. Turn on the Hot Water in a Sink or Tub and Let it Drain

While you wait for the water in the tank to cool for a couple hours, turn on a sink or tub hot water and leave it running during the entire process. Not a lot of water will continue to come out, but it will prevent a vacuum from forming within your pipes while you drain the tank.

  1. Attach a Hose and Let it Drain

Connect a house that either leads outside or into a large bucket and turn the drainage spigot on slowly, checking for leaks. Drain the tank until the water runs clear and there is no more brown water or sediment.

  1. Final Flush

With the hose still connected and poised over the bucket or leading outside, turn the cold water valve back on and let it run for a few minutes until the water coming from the hose is clear. Continue to flush out the tank until there is little to no sediment in your water.

  Finish The Job

Be sure to turn off the drainage valve and disconnect the hose. Turn on the cold water valve leading to the water heater and when the tank is full, open up the pressure relief valve to let out excess air from the tank. Turn off the sink or tub hot water and turn back on the power or gas to the water heater. Relight the pilot light and then wait about 20 minutes for the water to heat up. Test out your handiwork by turning back on the hot water in a sink or tub to ensure hot water is coming out.  

Remove Hard Water Buildup- FAST!

Hard water. We hate it, you hate it, and so do your faucets and shower heads! But for many of us who don’t have water softeners, or live in parts of the country where well water is a way of life, build up is unavoidable. Even with a water softener or filter, deposits will absolutely build up over time.

Getting sprayed in the eye by a clogged showerhead is not the best way to start the day. Luckily, removing magnesium and calcium buildup is as easy as 1, 2, 3 and as inexpensive as can be. Instead of requesting service from Freedom Home Warranty for insufficient water pressure, try this quick tips to get your faucets back to full power!

White vinegar is a godsend when it comes to DIY home cleaning. This acidic agent has a chemical reaction to the compounds in magnesium and calcium, and even manganese, brass, iron or copper. For chrome faucets, shower heads and even your coffee maker, use vinegar to fight the scum. But a word from the wise, DO NOT use undiluted vinegar on nickel or iron fixtures as it is abrasive and may break down the metal. Dilute the vinegar ratio 1:4 with water and apply on a very small area as a test.

hard water
Remove hard water buildup with vinegar! It is easy and inexpensive to ensure water pressure.

How It’s Done:

Remove the shower head and faucet aerators periodically and place in a bucket or basin and pour enough vinegar to cover them completely. You’ll see the chemical reaction working, with little bubbles greeting the surface and cleaning the deposits. Soak overnight or for at least half an hour if you need to speed the process. Use an old, soft toothbrush to give a gentle scrub or a toothpick to remove any remaining buildup.

In an even bigger hurry? Heat up the vinegar on your stove so it is hot but not boiling, and then place the faucet head in the vinegar. The heat speeds up the chemical reaction and your faucets will be good as new.

Can’t be bothered with removing your shower head or faucet? Use a plastic bag and a rubber band to secure the vinegar-filled baggie around the shower head for soaking.

Dishwasher Cleaning Tips

Regardless of how old your appliances are, you can keep them performing their best and maybe even extend their lifespan by regular cleaning and maintenance. This is a no brainer when it comes to ovens and refrigerators because those appliances are meant to keep food and cook it. But what about the dishwasher? This poor appliance gets the dirtiest job in the kitchen, but with regular cleaning, your dishes will always shine!

You’d think that an appliance designed to have one job cleaning would self clean itself afterword, but with a dishwasher that is just not the case. Although using it often will prevent food debris from settling on the bottom, deep cleaning the dishwasher will provide clean dishes cycle after cycle!

clean dishwasher
Cleaning your dishwasher is the easiest way to keep it running longer! Use these cleaning tips from Freedom Home Warranty.

Deep Clean

The first step is to empty the dishwasher as you will need to remove the racks to inspect the sprayer arms. To remove the racks, the method depends on the model. Typically the bottom rack will just lift put, and to remove the top rack, push in the end caps and then pull it out.

Once the racks are removed you can access the sprayer arms. When the little holes get clogged with build up, your dishes will come out spotty or even worse, with food still clinging to the glass. Use a small piece of wire, a toothpick, or small pliers to clean out the little holes. For those who want to go the extra mile, you can take off the sprayer arms and really get into those small holes.

The float is the mechanism that prevents your dishwasher from flooding during the cleaning cycle. Over time the float can get coated with food particles, but don’t worry it is the easiest part to clean. Simply raise the float and wipe it clean with a damp hand cloth.

To go the extra mile, remove the filter and drain and rinse it with warm soapy water and remove debris with a brush or cloth. Make sure to put all the parts back together correctly.

When it comes to the door interior and the racks, use a little multipurpose cleaner and wipe down. The edges of the door that seal when the dishwasher is closed do not get washed during the cycle, so spend extra attention there and also on the detergent dispenser.

The finishing touch is to remove hard water buildup as this will ensure sparkling glassware! If you decide to use white vinegar or lemon juice, place in a bowl on the top rack and run a cycle.

Remember that maintaining your appliances is required as part of your home warranty plan. for any questions regarding your home warranty, call us at 888-495-2249 or email [email protected]

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