If you deal with plumbing clogs on a regular basis, you might find yourself struggling with bent wire hangers, chemical drain cleaner, and unfamiliar pipes. Unfortunately, unless you are a trained professional, all of your efforts might be in vain. Most people don't realize it, but it is possible to damage your plumbing by making a few missteps. If you use the wrong chemicals or you push a little too hard, you might end up dealing with damaged pipes or your clogging problem could get worse. Fortunately, you might be able to use this blog to help you to keep your plumbing flowing smoothly.
A tankless water heater can be a great convenience, providing instant hot water for your showers and faucets within seconds. However, instant hot water isn't much use to anyone if the showers and faucets can only provide a slow, pathetic dribble of low pressure water.
If your home is fitted with a tankless water heater, but the water pressure coming from your hot water faucets and showers leave a lot to be desired, the problem may be caused by the water heater itself. Here are three of the most common causes of low pressure problems in tankless water heaters:
Mineral Deposits
Municipal water supplies always contain a certain amount of dissolved minerals, predominately made up of calcium and magnesium. While these dissolved solids pose no danger to your health, they can have an adverse effect on your tankless water heater.
As water passes through your tankless water heater's heat exchanger, the intense heat created by the exchanger will cause a small amount of water to evaporate. Any mineral content within this evaporated water is left behind inside the exchanger. With time and use, these mineral deposits can build up inside the exchanger, causing it to become clogged. This lowers the pressure of the water passing through the heater.
If mineral deposits inside the heat exchanger are causing low pressure problems in your tankless water heater, you should call in a professional tankless water heater repair service to clean out the heat exchanger. If the mineral deposits have become too compacted, or have caused the exchanger to overheat and suffer damage, the unit may need to be replaced entirely.
Internal Corrosion
All ferrous metals corrode over time when exposed to moisture, and the metals used to create your tankless water heater are no exception. Aging tankless water heaters may be suffering from serious corrosion damage, causing water to leak out of the pipes and heat exchanger before it can be used. This can lead to serious problems with low water pressure.
If internal corrosion is causing your tankless water heater's low pressure problems, you may be able to solve the problem by having individual, corroded components replaced. However, once corrosion starts to seriously affect a tankless water heater's functioning, the entire unit usually has to be replaced.
Ignition/Heating Element Issues
Tankless water heaters automatically control the pressure and flow rate of the water passing through them to make sure it is fully heated before it reaches your shower or faucet. If your gas-powered tankless heater is not igniting properly, or if the heating elements in your electric heater are malfunctioning, they may not be able to heat water quickly enough. This can cause the heater to reduce water pressure to unacceptably low levels.
In these cases, you should call in tankless water heater repair services to inspect your system's ignition system or heating elements. Often, a gas-powered system's ignition system may be clogged with soot or dust, and a simple cleaning will restore its heating power, solving your water pressure problems. If the ignition system or heating element is damaged or broken, it may need to be replaced. A tankless water heater repair service can provide additional information.
Share2 February 2021
